Outside In
by San Ookamitora
Summary: When 12 year old Riley ends up in a coma due to a fatal accident, she ends up a journey into her own mind with the help from her emotions, Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear. They all try to awaken Riley's senses, but must act quickly, before Riley's parents "pull the plug." Rated T for depressing thematic elements/upsetting scenes Cover Image belongs to nostalgia phantom.
1. In Which Riley Gets a New Bike

**A/N Well, I saw the film Inside Out and I absolutely ADORED it! The characters were cute, the writing was clever, and the creativity factor was just off the scales! It's Pete Doctor the same guy who directed Monsters Inc and the sorrowful yet still light hearted adventure Up. He is great at capturing emotion, so only fair he be the one to tackle it-What am I saying?! EVERY Pixar director captures emotion beautifully! Have we forgotten Toy Story 1, 2 & 3? The Incredibles? WALL-E? FINDING NEMO?! MY FAVOURITE!? *Ahem* Well I certainly enjoyed the film, I laughed and cried at many scenes. Suddenly, a thought hits me, No not a thought. An idea. What would it look like inside the head of someone with Depression? Anxiety Disorder? Bipolar Disorder? Autism or Aspergers? Or maybe even... **

**No San! No! Don't do it! That's far too drastic, and depressing and will kill everyone reading this inside!**

 **Too late. I just couldn't help myself and I had to write this. I thought this after watching the film, about what they could do for a sequel, (if one is in the works) what an interesting concept it would be if suddenly, the brain was shut down because of a freak accident or sudden illness. What would happen if this shutdown was even as serious as death? Now, keep in mind, this is going to be very VERY depressing, so if you can't handle some thematic elements, I suggest this story will not be for you. I might change the rating but I think for now I will keep it a T because talk of a coma probably isn't worth a K+ rating. I may be sued by Pixar if that is the case. So to avoid all that, let me just say right now that I do not own the concept of characters of Inside Out. They belong to Wait Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios. A huge thank you to all those at Pixar, artists, actors, writers, producers, for giving me this idea and inspiring me, even if my story isn't always as happy as yours. I would also like to say a big thank you to John Lasseter because when Disney kicked him down, he rose up to the point where they took him back, and to Pete Doctor for making this film, and to Andrew Stanton, Lee Urwich and Brenda Chapman. Finally, I'd like to say a big thank you to all of my faithful readers out there, because without you, the motivation to write would not be possible. Please do not forget to write a review and to follow this story if you like it.**

 **San Ookamitora.**

Chapter 1: In Which Riley Gets a New Bike

Riley Anderson sat on the new comfy red couch, store ordered by her mother and father as part of sealing their commitment to the move in her favourite navy and yellow star-patterned pajamas and purple rabbit slippers. She was crouched over her Nintendo game, activly challenging her brain to read out the word of a color, without saying exactly what color it was written in. She had so far mastered this game, even when it was so early in the morning and was getting used to calling Red, Green and Purple, Blue. She tapped her stylus against the screen, swiping a color to match it's worded equivalent, when her phone vibrated on the wooden coffee table. Instantly reaching for it without taking her eyes off her device she paused back to the main menu and turned it on, the home screen blinding her momentarily. She flicked through her recent emails and messages, and saw that a new one had been sent from her old home town in Minnesota. She opened it immediately.

"HEY GURL! JUST 1TED 2 TEXT 2 SAY THE PRAIRIE DOGS 1 ANOTHER B GAME YESTERDAY! HOPE U R SETTLED IN FINE, AND BECKS SAYS HI! LUV M xoxo "

Riley smiled. Meg, her old friend had become a defender on the hockey team the previous year. The new girl who had filled in Riley's place had become the captain. Although Riley had been skeptic of Rebecca at first glance from a photo Meg had shown her over webcam she realised she wasn't so bad. Meg had been right when she told her how cool she was. It turned out Becks had been playing hockey from as young as Riley was when she first started. She had scored her first goal later in life, but didn't hesitate to send Riley pictures of her signed shirts and hockey figures as well as an autographed helmet from her favourite player on Minnesota's women's team. As Riley was about to exit the message she checked for any other further links or attachments. Nothing.

Maybe she's forgot, she thought to herself.

There was a knock at the door, and the the sound of it swinging open. Riley's mother entered carrying a large box wrapped in silver paper and topped with a red ribbon and bow. She placed it on the dining table and jumped when she saw her daughter sitting staring wide eyed at her still in her night clothes. "Oh! Riley! You're up early!"

"Hey Mom!"

"Any particular reason you got up so early on your big day?"

"Nope. Not really," Riley confessed, "I just uh-couldn't sleep."

"Well," her mother smirked, "while you're up..." she walked backwards towards the table, scooping up the neatly wrapped box behind her back and parading towards Riley. "Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Riley, Happy Birthday to you!"

Riley's eyes lit up at the grey and white striped gift presented in front of her. "Can. Can I open it now?"

"Not yet! Wait for your father to wake up first."

She slumped over the couch groaning into one of her Mom's fluffed up pillows. "That'll take For-ev-er!"

"Now, now enough of that," teased her mother, "you know he had a hard shift yesterday." She headed to the kitchen to fetch Riley's cake from the refrigerator, "besides, we all want to be here for when we open your presents."

"All? It's just you, me and Dad Mom." Her mother gestured to her slippers, which now a bundle of brown-auburn fur rubbing up against them. Riley giggled, "Oh, and you too Puff!"

Puff let out a small meow as Riley lifted him onto her lap, but purred as she kept stroking him in the way he liked, neck to tail, settling into her pajama bottoms and letting his lids droop slightly. They had gotten Puff four months ago as an animal companion for Riley during the exam weeks to help her cope with the stress of schoolwork. They adopted him from a

rescue centre after his other owner left him abandoned outside a gas station.

"Well, Puff can have a birthday breakfast too, considering he thinks every day is his birthday!" Puff jumped from Riley's lap and followed her Mom into the kitchen to open a can of his favourite fish meals.

The sound of a creaking bed and aching bones told them that her father had risen from his slumber. Riley leapt up from the sofa, and grabbed one of the legs left over from the old table and stole a tissue from the box crumpling it up to make a make-shift puck, as he headed tiredly towards the door. She giggled and hid behind it, clutching the leg as his footsteps became louder.

"And the famous Riley "Ice Princess" Anderson gets ready to shoot another goal!"

Her Dad quickly caught on to what she was doing and reached for the umbrella sticking from her mother's favourite urn.

"But Big Papa intercepts and knocks it right of the ring!" He went to take the "puck" from her but she was too quick for him.

"Guess Again, Pops!"

She darted past him, shuffling across the room and keeping full control over the tissue before aiming it at the fireplace. "She shoots, Aaaand...She Scoresl"

"No! The mighty Big Papa is defeated!" said her Dad feigning devastation.

"Well, the mighty Big Papa can use his baking skills to light the cake!" laughed her mother coming back from the kitchen.

"Oh right! Of course! So, how's my birthday girl?" he said rolling up his sleeves in preparation.

"She's hungry!" replied Riley.

"Not for long! Where are the matches honey?"

"The top drawer, beside the sink!" Her Mom was carrying more presents into the living room, large ones with different coloured wrapping, as if it were Christmas Day. Riley's heart felt a burst of excitement and anticipation as she eyed the size of each present.

"Ow! Darn these things!" her father said, the flame of her last candle emerging. "Okay everyone to the table!"

"Come on Puff!" urged Riley gently nudging the long haired tom cat who wasn't so thrilled about being moved after a big meal.

Riley saw her Mom had laden the table with bits of confetti, her trademark pink and blue iced chocolate cupcakes and party hats left over from New Year. Even though they hadn't much in stock since the move, she couldn't have asked for more.

Riley strapped a pink one to her head and her parents sat at either side of her, Puff hopping a chair opposite. Her Mom carried the cake, her Dad the cards and both began to sing:

 _Happy Birthday to you_

 _Our Riley's no longer two_

 _She's turned one year older_

 _And soon we will have too!_

Riley fell into hysterics. "Make a wish darling!" said her mother getting the camera ready.

Riley inhaled deeply, the scent of the candles tickling the inside of her nose and then blew all twelve candles out leaving nothing but smokey trails.

"Oh, it didn't go off!" sighed Riley's Mom peering at the camera, "I always knew this stupid thing would wear out!"

"It needs new batteries," her Dad remarked.

"It's okay you guys! Really!" said Riley, "never mind the camera let's have some cake!"

"She's right," said her mother to her Dad who was desperately trying to pry open the back of the camera and get out the film. "I'll get a sharp knife, and then our little girl can open some presents!"

"YES!" said Riley punching the air, and moving the table slightly to which she caught the cake just in time before it slid off the edge.

The cake was delicious. It was Riley's favourite, chocolate with white icing for her name and more chocolate icing around the top and on the inside, with edible tiny candy balls coating the outer part. Her Mom poured her a glass of lemonade which she drank as she opened her cards and gifts. She got $100 from a very generous aunt in Nebraska and $20 from her not-so-generous uncle back in Minnesota. She opened a snazzy purple wristwatch, a silver cat necklace with a matching pair of earrings. A gold piggy bank with swirled patterns and several framed photographs of her favourite hockey league, all signed by the players. She herself even got a wonderful turquoise hockey shirt and helmet, with white gloves and a blue stick and black puck for practising in and out of doors. Since her parents thought her old enough she got a new phone and tablet, complete with cute cherry headphones and bear keyrings, several books (most were for school but others were for journals and story writing). Finally she got a star patterned t-shirt with jeans just the right size and cool sneakers for outdoors. She loved them all.

"These are amazing! Everything's amazing! I love you guys!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around both of them, "you're the best parents ever!"

"Well it's not over yet!" her father said, "follow me, we have an extra present in the garage!"

Riley happily threw on her dressing gown at the door and watched her her Dad pointed his keys at the door which forever failed to open. "Wait-" the door finally came up with a loud unforgiving screech, but even that was worth it once Riley saw what was in store.

"WOW!"

Inside was a bicycle, silver and pink, purple flames painted on the sides. Although there were training wheels, the whole model was professional and grown up. Nothing like the tricycle she had ridden as a toddler.

"Do you like it?" said her Dad, laughing at the dumbfounded look she had.

"I-I LOVE IT! THANK YOU DAD, THANK YOU SOO SO MUCH!"

"WOAH now! Hey!" he chuckled as she threw her arms around him, "it wasn't just my ideal"

Riley turned to see her mother standing smiling in the doorway, and immediately ran to embrace her too. "It's the coolest birthday gift, ever!"

Her mother kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. "You're very welcome. Now come on inside! You don't want to catch a cold on your special day!"

"Huh! That reminds me," said Dad scratching his head, "doesn't Riley have school today?"

Her Mom gasped checking the clock in the hall. "Oh God, that's right! It starts in an hour, Riley you better go and get dressed and ready!"

Riley's face fell. "Do I have to?"

"Yes! You do have to!" laughed her mother, "don't you want to see all your friends on your big day?"

"I guess so."

"Well come on, upstairs and get dressed. You can wear your new clothes if you like, I'll get them for you."

"No it's okay! I'll wear some of my old stuff! Besides I don't want to get them all messed up on my first day wearing them!"

" _Why_ is that?"

Riley giggled, "because you'd go as crazy as a monkey who ate to much bananas!"

"Oh-ho-ho! That's it, little missy, you're in for it Come here!" She put her hair so Riley knew she meant business. Riley shrieked in delight as she chased her up the stairs. She hadn't had so much fun with her parents since they were on vacation and the car drove backwards into one of the dinosaur sculptures. Laughing herself her mother went to join her husband at the foot of the stairs who helped catch her breath.

"Don't do too much running around now, you know what could do to the-"

"I'm fine! I just need to sit down a moment!" she sighed hearing Riley sing a song from one of her favourite retro bands. "She's such a great kid!"

"What did we do to deserve her?" agreed her father.

Riley soon came bounding down the staircase, stuffing her raincoat into her backpack and swinging it on. "Right! See you guys!"

"Woah woah, wait a minute eagerpants," said Mom, "have you got your lunch money?"

"Got it!"

"Your bus pass?" added Dad.

"Yep!"

"And you sure you'll be warm enough in just your hoodie?"

"Yes Mom! I'll be fine!"

"Okay, have a good day monkey!" said her Dad unlocking the door for her.

She grinned and contorted her face into a gurn, making noises and sticking out her ears, her parents did the same.

Riley snorted. "See you when school's done!"

"Have a great day sweetheart!"

"Oh and Dad, you'll teach me how to ride the bike when I get back?"

"Sure thing kiddo!"

"Neat!" she closed the door behind her, but left it open a crack so only her eyes were visible. "I love you both!"

"We love you too!"

Riley closed the door. Taking one final glance at her brand new bike she inhaled the outdoors softly, breathing in the cool sir and the scent of freshly cut grass- whilst also trying to drown out the sound of heavy machinery and construction work in the grey urban street.

 **A/N: Ohh boy! First chapter's a happy one! That means the next few are going to be hard to write and possibly an enormous punch on the stomach to anyone reading. Well, until then be sure to write a review and follow if you liked :)**


	2. In Which Riley Flies

Chapter 2: In Which Riley Flies

It had been a full week since Riley had turned twelve, and already she felt older and more mature. She had spent most of that week studying, catching up on any extra homework and asking her teacher about the new curriculum changes. She had taken a shine in many of her classes. Although she couldn't do fractions and algebra, she did alright in Maths with counting and pi charts. She used a calculator in school and an abacus at home to work on simple mathematics. She was skillful in art class, her speciality being butterflies and lizards, cats too only they were harder to draw. She had tried to model Puff once but hadn't been very successful as he had kept moving or getting up for milk.

Drama class was a favourite of hers because she loved pretending. She said she wanted to act when she was younger before hockey came into her life. "You're never too old to pretend," is what she always told her parents. "Like right now, I'm pretending not to notice that you haven't eaten your broccoli?" her Mom would reply to which Riley would gulp trying her best not to wretch as she picked them up with her fork and dropped them into a pouch in her sweater, dropping them all under the table for Puff even though she knew he would only sniff them and turn his nose up.

Writing for English class was her favourite pastime at home. She could make journals effortlessly, and couldn't wait to write more in the notebooks her Mom had bought her at the start of the week.

Music was a bore. Riley was in the Choir and hates the sound of her own voice, whereas her teacher seemed to loves the sound of _her_ own voice.

By far though, her best subject was History. She loved history. Next to PE (though to be fair if it wasn't anything about hockey she often wasn't interested) she excelled in quizzes, quotes, dates and tests and could analyse and answer almost every question correctly. She had no idea why considering she hadn't ever particularly liked history, maybe it was something to do with the fact she was good at remembering things, small prints of history texts. Riley was a fountain of knowledge, spouting facts of Tutankamun and his curse to Queen Victoria and her grandchildren.

She was now so good she could name all the US Presidents off by heart. Franklin, Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt were her favourites, easy to remember from Mt Rushmore. Truman, Nixon, Clinton and Bush were her least favourites all for different obvious reasons.

On this day, she was sitting doodling at her desk with her new friends, Mandy, Cindy, Hayley and Lori. She had met them not soon after she was properly settled in to the school. Mandy she met from art when she found out about her talents in bitterly drawing and asked her for help. Mandy in turn showed Riley how to draw sharks and whales, and small dogs, her art speciality. Cindy was the tall popular girl she had spotted talking with a clique on her first day, with the pink eyeshadow, double ear pierce and half of her hair dyed light blue. Despite her hard looking appearance, Riley got to know her and she was very nice, surprisingly sensitive. She revealed to Riley that she had shared a concern for her the first day she had seen her burst into tears in front of the class. Hayley was Cindy's friend, a jet haired girl with a love for gothic culture and skull designs. She had painted Riley's nails for her, something she wouldn't normally have agreed to, but since she wanted to at least fit in a little bit she learned to love her navy skull nails for a couple of days. Lori was a new girl from Ecuador who couldn't speak much English on arrival. Since Riley had been in her position before, the teacher suggested she show her around the school and help her out. Now Lori was less shy when it came to class discussions.

"Hey Riley!" said Mandy, making her snap from her doodle daydream "Did you hear we might getting a learning check next week?"

"Ugh! Not another one!" groaned Cindy leaning back in her chair, "I can't study any faster!"

"Yeah, like any more and I'm going to explode!" added Hayley putting in exaggerated hand gestures, her bracelets clanking together.

"I doubt that very much Hayley," said the teacher coming in and shuffling papers.

"But Miiiiiss! It's true! Why do we have to work all the time!?" sighed a tired Cindy. "I'm staying awake doing my new project, I'm getting cross feet and I'm thirteen, see?!"

"Now now Cindy, don't be like that " the teacher said taking off her glasses and polishing them. "For one, you need to do homework and study to go to High school. And then from there it's college, and from there it's a job. You can't tell me you don't want one of those!"

"I'll just work in my Mom's salon," yawned Cindy, placing her hat over her eyes and unwisely putting her boots on the desk.

"Feet off please. And are you chewing gum?"

"No."

"Put it in the trash."

Cindy groaned, but did as she was told. "Wow! Nothing gets past you Miss!" giggled Mandy.

"Years of practice," her teacher replied, "now listen up class. I have an important announcement to make! Riley you too, put that book away please. We are going to be having the School Fair next month, and everyone is invited to take part. Entry is optional of course, but if you have a project you would like to put on display and maybe even be sold or auctioned, then I encourage you to share it."

"Hey Riley, didn't you do that watercolour picture of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly?" piped up Mandy.

"Oh uh-I-"

"Yeah, it had the cocoon and wings and everything it was really good!" added Lori.

"Guys I couldn't!"

"Sure ya could!" said Cindy, sneakily popping another piece of triple dent strawberry into her mouth, "you can draw pretty good. It would make for your awful singing."

"Well, my singing is better than you trying to score a hoop in basketball!" Riley smirked.

"Oh shut up!" said Cindy, but her voice was playful, "Seriously though, you're pretty good, try drawing something you ARE good at."

"Yeah!" said Louis, a boy who sat behind Riley and whom she frequently shared a laugh with, "didn't you win last year's hockey season?"

"Um-yeah but-"

"Pfft! Big deal!" sighed Greg from the corner, "Dana was in the school concert this year, she played clarinet she should have a chance!"

Dana a plump girl on the other side looked up from her desk and scowled at him, "don't be so mean! Besides you're not entering!"

"School fairs are lame that's why!"

"Just because you're not good at anything!"

"Not true, I can fit my whole fist in my mouth!"

"Oh yeah, like that's a skill!"

The whole class went into sudden commotion, each debating whether the school fair was something of worth or completely pointless. The teacher eventually stood up at the board, crossing her arms, as a signal for "be quiet." Or "Shut the heck up," as Riley saw it.

"Now Now Class, everyone settle down please. Thank you. Now, as I was saying it's on the 28th of next month and it's a Saturday, so you are welcome to attend with your parents," she began walking around handing out the papers she had been shuffling neatly on the desk and each student put them into their bags.

"Now, on with the day!"

It was around two o clock before history finally made it's way to the timetable. Riley closed her maths textbook in delight and relief to exchange it for an American History volume 1. It was time for her to show off her smartypants skills on her-well, not favourite subject but definitely the most interesting.

That day they were learning about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, something she usually would have been engaged in. However, something was nagging at the back of her mind, eating away any ability to focus on the facts she was hearing. As she tried to think about it, her mind kept wondering to home, and in particular her Mom and Dad. Mom had been so busy on her laptop recently searching for any possible takers for her care job. That wasn't the only thing that was bothering her. Her Mom had been throwing up in the mornings frequently and Riley was seriously starting to think about investigating the lattic with a torch and check for asbestos. Aside from her on going health problems, Riley had no idea as to why she was looking for a replacement to her own job- it didn't seem to make any sense. Wasn't she happy with it? Suddenly a horrible thought struck her. What if they were moving again? Would she have to start all over again? Make new friends? Pack up all her things in mouldy cardboard boxes and cram them into the back of a smelly van? No! No, that was impossible, completely illogical, Dad was happy with his new job, she knew he was making enough money to at least support the electricity in the house-but still...sometimes she wished they had moved into a giant gingerbread house instead, where things could have been a lot simpler...

"Ahem!"

Riley broke from her trance as instantly as she had drifted into it. "Uh, Sorry?"

"Riley sweetie, are you paying attention? Who was it I said shot Abraham Lincoln?"

Riley hadn't, but she didn't even need to stutter, " John Wilkes Booth?"

Her teacher looked taken aback. "Oh! Well then. Yes, fantastic Riley, Well Done!"

For some reason, a "well done" seemed to mean a lot more to Riley these days. She smiled to herself before the irritating drivel of Greg Fields whispered over at her, "Nerd!"

She managed to keep it together, even as he threw a paper airplane oclock in her direction.

"Well, it looks like we're done for the day," the teacher concluded at three o clock. "Class Dismissed!" All of her pupils collected their bags from under their desks and hurried to get to the door. "And thank goodness," she muttered to herself sitting down, looking up however she noticed Riley holding out a folder.

"Oh! Yes Riley?"

"Um, this is my Philadelphia essay-I should have handed it in sooner."

"Ahh, thank you Riley, I forgot something too! I forgot to ask if you had a good birthday!"

"Oh yeah, it was great! My first birthday in California!"

"Glad to hear it? Do anything special?"

"The beach. We built sandcastles and went swimming, my Mom sunbathed and my Dad got us all shaved ice! It's a lot warmer than in Minnesota!"

"I'll bet it is. Do you have a ride waiting for you?"

Riley shook her head, "Nope, I'm just going to walk!"

"By yourself? Isn't that a little dangerous?"

"Uh, a little maybe-I don't think so, look please don't worry about me! I'll be just fine!"

"Well okay. See you tomorrow Riley!"

Riley headed for the exit doors where most students were already going out, their backpacks slung over their shoulders. She caught up with Mandy and Lori who made their way out through the gate.

"Hey Riles! Me and the gang are all going over to my house to watch The Hunger Games, ya wanna come?"

As much as Riley did want an afternoon of thrilling movie action, she decided it was best that she didn't worry her parents.

"Nah, it's okay. Mom and Dad are expecting me home for dinner, and they'll kill me if I'm not home on time!"

"Oh well then, let us walk with you," said Lori. "I don't mind."

"Me neither!" said Hayley catching up, Cindy not far behind, "wait what are you guys talking about?"

"Ugh, it was such a drag in there!" commented Cindy stretching, "I'm going hope to listen to MeatLoaf, those who want to join shout out!"

"I do!" said Hayley, "come on you guys!"

"Sorry! We've already made plans!" cringed Mandy.

"Well, Riley then?"

"I can't guys, I have to get home, really!"

"Don't you wanna walk with us?" said Cindy, hand on one plaid-skirted hip. " No! I mean Yes, I do! I just need to go, like right now!"

"And your sure you're not coming with us?"

"I'll survive! I survived my cast injury remember?"

Cindy's look remained flat for a moment, before she shrugged, "Come on you guys! Little Miss Perfect has to run home!" To prove she was only kidding she sent Riley a sly wink over her shoulder, to which she smirked and shook her head in return. She walked slowly, hands in the pockets of her hoodie down the other end of the street, her friends going the opposite way. Her heart sunk a little as she watched them leave, wanting desperately to charge after them, screaming her Katniss monologue.

She made a right turn at the lights, until they had completely disappeared from view.

As Riley walked home, the thoughts inside her head went flying like an array of nervous butterflies, each with a new problem attached to it's wing: the confusion over her mother's job, the doubt about her father's and the sickening feeling of ever having to move again. Although she still kept in touch with Meg and Becks and everyone else back home, she felt that if she moved s second time, she would have two different groups of best friends to try and keep in touch with. She imagined trying to chat over video with Cindy, Mandy, Hayley and Lori and just-No! She couldn't even imagine it!

She had only been in San Francisco a year and it felt as though she had lived there all her life.

Stopping just around the corner of her block, she noticed the garage, it's titanium door locked, hinges pulled shut. Apart from all the other apartment resident's cars, it also housed her new bike. She smiled instantly remembering that her Dad tried to teach her to ride it that Monday she got home from school, even though it had been clear that he hadn't ridden a bike himself for ages.

" _Now, you've got your peddles here, your help here.."_

 _" I know those ones Dad! Just teach me how to ride already!_

 _"Now, sweetheart-!"_

 _"What's this one?"_

 _"That's the break that's what you use to sto-"_

 _"Stop yeah! Got it! Come on, get to the real stuff!"_

 _"Right, well trying going forward and then-"_

 _His words were cut off as Riley shot straight ahead, whizzing past lamposts and zooming in and out if parked cars. "I'm doing it! Look Dad, I'm really doing it!"_

 _Her father stood back amazed, "Wow kiddo, you're a natural! Keep at it, careful of that guy's mirrors!"_

 _Riley rode in circles in front of him before gathering speed. It didn't take him long enough to realise where she was headed. "Riley, the breaks the Breaks!"_

 _"Woah!" Riley fell with a sudden crash into what sounded like a rustling plastic bag. He ran over to help her up. "Riley, ate you hurt?!"_

 _She had landed in a small hedge outside s neighbour's apartment, and was giggling picking leaves out of her hair. "That was fun!" she declared._

 _"You'll get the hang of it kiddo!"_

 _"What do you mean? I was amazing!" Riley laughed._

 _"Just wait till you have your training wheels off!" chuckled her father, "then you'll be riding like a pro! At least you wore your helmet, but uh-don't tell your Mom about the crashing part, it'll only worry her!"_

 _"Okay Dad!"_

 _"That's my girl!"_

Riley smiled at the memory, wondering how long ago it was her Dad had even set his foot a peddle. _Just wait until you have your training wheels off... then you'll be riding like a pro!_

 _What if...?_

The bike called to her behind the garage door, Come ride me Riley, it seemed to say. As she stood in front of it, knowing it was probably locked, she ached to touch the curved handlebars, to set her feet upon the smooth peddles. Ring the bell for driver's attention.

Slowly, she pushed the white metal just for a moment...

...it opened!

Riley couldn't believe it! The door wasn't locked! Someone must have forgot to lock it, Oh how she wished she could have thanked that person right there and then. She dashed inside, searching around in the dim light for a flash of pink. Finally, she saw it, draped under a blue blanket to keep it clean-thanks Dad.

She discarded her turquoise helmet and white gloves from the front handlebar, fumbled with the safety measures and set to work on bringing outside. She would ride it right up and down the street, with all the other neighbourhood kids commenting on how cool that girl from Minnesota is, although in order for them to think that, she was going to have to ramp it up a bit...

...ramp...

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. Everyone on her street were always throwing out mattresses and old pieces of furniture. It wouldn't be hard to find some old wood.

Then she saw it. An old coffee table discarded at the foot of someone's house. That would make the perfect ramp!

She wasted no time in setting it up, leaning it against the family's bright red metro parked by the trashcans.

She pulled herself s few metres back before mounting. Narrowing her eyes and squinting to find where the road began again-finally she found her target.

Kicking off from the ground and print with all her might she threw herself at full force towards the ramp was positioned. Gathering speed, she reared up, does up the wood...

...and soared.

Oh what I feeling it was to fly like a bird on the wing through the cool San Francisco air, the wind blowing through her hair, her skin awakened from the sudden gale, momentarily closing her eyes as she rose higher and higher into the breeze. She saw the concrete below he and readied herself to land.

Only she wasn't landing. She tried to work the breaks, but realised they had been jammed between the wheels, she let out a gasp as the orange and white truck faced her, it's lights blinking, the skin of the horn knelling the end of her flight. She tried to scream, but could only open her mouth in terror as she fell forward and was brought into a huge collision.

Crystals fell into fractals of glass, the screech of tyres burned through her, her mouth tasted of oil and as she blinked, she felt the trickle of moist scarlet liquid from her forehead. She fell through a deep hole, a hole for the end of the world. She saw through half lidded eyes her mother as she ran from the house shrieking her name and crying, her father rushing out to try and stop it all. The hole for the end of the world let her take one last look, though she knew not what the world was any more. With a final breath, she fell into it, allowing it's deep black walls to engulf her, to steal her from the place she once called home.

"OH JESUS!"

"RILEY!" "RIIIILLLEYY!"


	3. In Which Riley's Life Turns White

Chapter 3: In Which Riley's Life Turns White

 _White..._

 _It's the most intriguing of all the colours. On a gentle summer's day, one cannot help but look up to the sky and gaze into the rounded wisps of clouds, smudged grey at the edges. White is the colour of purity, a snowdrop newly bloomed in February; a swan gliding across s smooth river; a bride on her wedding day; a ghost of a soul trapped forever in a dismal home._

 _It was no surprise then, that Riley was faced with a dozen white flashes at once. The ambulance that rescued her from the ground was white as were the medics in uniforms carrying her stretcher, applying her mask. Had they been medics? Or Angels? She could not decide._

 _The air grew colder for her pale skin, and she felt somewhat clammy. Her mother had squeezed her hand in the back of the ambulance the whole way to the hospital, clutching her palm comforting both herself and her. Her father helping the medics to her wounds._

 _To Riley, it was no differen_ t _than_ sleeping _in a hotel room, where everything was clean and pristine. For a minute, she wondered whether to open her eyes or not. No. She let her eyelids stay closed. What would would be the use in opening them when she wouldn't be able to see..._

A man and woman sat in a green and white waiting room on large orange chairs which seemed unfittingly bright and almost dirty in such an immaculate setting. It didn't take one long to figure out they were married. The man had his arms wrapped tightly around the woman, who's eyes were red and covered in salty tears. She was weeping softly, whilst those discreet enough to keep their distance looked on. The man offered her another tissue to which she blew her nose with wearily.

"Mr and Mrs Anderson?"

A dark haired doctor in a white cost emerged from the wing.

"That's us," said the husband, his wife to distraught to speak.

"If you would come with me please."

They followed him through a glass corridor, where the daylight from outside almost masked the darkness going on inside of both their hearts. The doctor watched as the woman's husband held her close to him, as she blower her nose on a white tissue. "It'll be alright," he said, "I promise."

The doctor sighed. He himself had seen it all one too many times. The shock after the accident, the trauma a family went through. The fragility of hope. He knew that the victim was a young girl, small and slim. It was never a good sign for someone of her size and stature during a time like this.

"In here," he gestured, opening a dark turquoise door into a large white room, beds at each side, all with children resting soundly in them, having their tubes and bags changed, tended to by nurses in teal gowns, white masks and plastic gloves.

"Where is Number 13?" the doctor whispered to one of them.

"In that bed over there," the nurse said pulling down his mask.

"Any sign of movement so far?"

The nurse shook his head, "Nothing. She's completely out. We tried talking to her but so far it appears the only thing working is her heart beat."

"Right. I see. Thank you Nurse."

With a nod, the nurse collected the rest of his colleagues and left an empathetic look in the direction of the victim's parents.

"Here, she is," said the doctor, leading them to the foot of the bed. "This is her right?"

The woman swallowed tears and took off her glasses to wipe the edges of her eyes. She couldn't help but sob and let more flow, "Yes," she whispered. "That's her. That's my little girl."

"That's her," agreed the man, sighing sadly and placing a paw on his wife's shoulder. As she began to break down again he turned to the doctor who sent sympathetic glances their way. "What's her condition Doctor?"

"She's in a coma," the doctor explained gingerly taking a stethoscope from a drawer and placing it to the girl's chest, "her breathing seems to have regulated for now, but just to be sure we had an oxygen mask put on her. Heart rate is normal thankfully." He put the stethoscope away and turned to a fountain by her bed, protruding a paper cup from the holder and filling it. He handed it to the woman who lay close to her daughter, weeping softly into the blankets. "Drink this." She sipped, the styrofoam object shaking in her grasp as her eyes produced more water.

"How long will she be like this?" her husband asked comforting her.

"We don't know for certain. She has suffered head trauma and bruising and her scalp was bleeding when we first rushed her into the ER. She has had stitches, but as for the proper brain function, it could take her a while to snap out of it."

"How long's a while?" he asked seriously.

"We can't say for certain."

" _Tell_ me!" he commanded, "I'm her father, I want to know if my baby girl is going to be alright!"

"Sir, we're still running some tests. Could be weeks, months, even years. She may never wake up at all."

"Oh Riley!" her mother wailed, throwing her arms around her husband.

"There, there sweetheart."

"No..No..No.." she sobbed into his chest. He gave the doctor a look of pleading to which the he nodded in understanding. "I'll give you some time alone." He walked from the wing into another open plan area, pulling the blue curtain closed.

The two grief stricken parents looked at their daughter's form. She lay still and motionless, but was far from lifeless. Her chest inflated and deflated again slowly, her lips parted as though she were just fast asleep.

She was paler than they had ever seen her, her face as white as the sheets she lay in. A poppy bruise had formed on her forehead, and her on her scalp, the stitches were clearly visible.

"Hey Riley," her mother said trying to force a smile through the tears, "how's my favourite girl?"

"You took a nasty fall monkey," her father added, "we were both very worried about you."

"I'm so proud of you," her mother said, taking her limp hand and squeezing it, "you're such a brave girl. You're our brave girl. Here, we had the doctors bring these in for you," she took out a plastic bag from underneath the bed. "It's your music. We thought you'd like to listen to it. I also brought in an extra pillow-it's the strawberry scented one, your favourite. And we had them dress you in your favourite blue star pyjamas after the surgery so you would be comfy."

"And here's Mr Cuddles the bear," said her Dad laying a small, old teddy bear , it's expression drooping, it's left eye missing, on the bed and ticking it into the sheets beside her, "I know you're not three anymore, but we just-" he began to choke. "W-We-"

"-we thought you might like some company. You'll wake up soon my precious little angel, and we won't leave your side for a second." She stroked the girl's sandy hair, "We will make sure you're never left alone. We'll be here, we will visit every day, I promise, don't you worry."

"We won't miss a single visit," said her Dad stroking her cheek.

The doctor reappeared from the room, "If I could have you both through here, there's some forms that require your signature."

Both looking at each other with sorrow and disappointment, they got up to go. As the man went in first he stopped w hen he noticed his wife staring longingly at the bed. She walked back over to her sleeping child, her Riley, the one she carried inside of her for 9 months, the one she knew growing into a healthy young girl. If Riley left their lives now, who would be there to take care of-

"Mrs Anderson?"

"Coming," she said. Turning back, she planted a soft kiss on Riley's forehead as if trying to heal the red mark, she stroked her hairline before whispering, "See you soon honey," and joining the doctor in the other room and taking one final look at her daughter.

 _"Oh Riley..."_


	4. In Which Riley Runs through Darkness

**A/N: In case you are wondering as to how everything in Riley's head isn't working except her emotions, that's because during a coma no one is sure if the comatose person can hear and/or sense everything that's going on in the "real world" if you may. Some people who have awoken haven't remembered anything, others can remember some people talking. It's not like death it's kind of like a trance. Anyway, time for me to shut up now.**

Chapter 4: In Which Riley Runs Barefoot through the Darkness.

Darkness. Pure darkness. That was all Riley could see, as ran through thick blue clouds and velvet violet tunnels. Her vision was blurred, everything distorted itself. There was no way to distinguish a shape from a color at that moment. All she saw was black.

It had been an odd transition, from a blinding flash of white to s sudden envelopment in darkness. It had all happened in a few minutes. She wasn't sure as to how she had gone from flying to suddenly running through a never-ending forest of tunnels that were the only silhouettes she could make out. She ran very slowly, trying to speed up, but failing. It was as if a force stronger than gravity was pushing her back. As though she was wading through thick molasses. She tried to move, but to her horror discovered that her feet were being held down by twisting black thorns, that shot up like roots from the ground, winding their way up her calves like snakes. She screamed but found no sound to come out, and she had a feeling no one would be able to hear her there-wherever _there_ was.

She used all of her might to stretch her left leg forward, straining every hockey muscle she has used over the years. Finally, the thorns broke, splitting apart. Riley jumped to freedom but gasped abruptly once she realised they had turned to black sand beneath her feet. Looking down at them, she saw the floor was made of felt. There was no way to describe it's feeling however, she could only compare it to walking on water or air. As she felt herself drifted upwards suddenly as if her that of wind had appeared from nowhere, she saw a a suddenly bright flash of pink light. A thunderstorm was headed straight towards her, great grey nimbuses with electric lines winking at her. Riley's whole body froze; she tried turning in the opposite direction, but the wind grew stronger and only pulled her back into the storm. She helped and covered her eyes as she was suddenly encased in a dark cloud, the lightening's scorching power narrowly missing her each time it hit. Then, suddenly when she thought all hope was lost and she was about to be caught in a hurricane, she felt the smooth surface of glass in front of her. A long cylinder tube lay in front of her, with an opening just big enough for her to get into it. Not wishing to be blown about any longer, she swallowed any hesitation and crawled inside, using her arms as if treading water to grab hold of the tube and pull herself into it.

The reaction was instantaneous. No sooner had she huddled inside, an even stronger gale threw her wildly, and she was sucked straight into it. It was an uncomfortable sensation as she fell, like being trapped in a vacuum. She screamed on the way down, worrying if she had made the right choice or not. What if this lead somewhere even worse than a thundercloud? Maybe a piranha tank, or a furnace? Either way, whatever it was, she was sure to get hurt. Unwillingly, but still in acceptance of this, she placed her arms across her body, like sliding out of an airplane, bracing herself for the crash.

Three...

Two...

One...

THUD!

Riley landed on something solid and painful, like a pool filled with marbles. As she regained consciousness, she was amazed to find that that was exactly what she had landed on. A container, full of polished, multi coloured balls that seemed to glow softly. That's strange, she thought to herself, then looking around to see where she was, she saw that the spheres were bright because of how dim it was. She had landed in a purple room, a very large one, with patterns on the walls and floors. There was a ramp which lead up to another room, and doors that lead elsewhere as well. She noticed huge shelves stacked with what also looked like the rounded balls she had landed in, only they were dark grey and drab looking; like cannonballs, Riley thought to herself.

A sudden sound of voices made her jump out of her skin. She turned to see, to her surprise and confusion, what looked like a giant television screen, with a table, full of levers and knobs. There were people there-she gasped softly. People! Maybe they know what happened to my parents! she thought. She went to remove herself from the container, but suddenly stopped. She took another glimpse at the figures.

They looked like people, but there was no way they could have been. One was tall and burning like a candle, one was a lump with goggles, one was a short, stout looking creature, one was a ghostly looking thing in a robe and the other was a twig, which jerked around so much she couldn't ever see them fully. No. They weren't people, not humans anyway.

She felt an odd mixture of relief when she heard a female voice grace her eardrums. A high pitched one, yet still somewhere soft and gentle.

"This doesn't make any sense!" she was saying, "why isn't anything working?"

"It's all just...broken," came a low and sorrowful voice, who's gender remained a mystery.

"I think we might be dead, Are we Dead?!" came a shrill voice from the twigman.

"Of course we're not dead! The controls are bust that's all." came the drawl of another female.

"It's all his fault!" yelled the short creature, with a male voice so booming and loud, it made Riley wince.

The twig man jerked his thin body again, "M-M-Me?! What did I do?!"

"If you hadn't tried to snatch the controls from her," he pointed a thick hand to the glowing woman, "WE'D STILL BE UP AND RUNNIN'!"

"Not to mention we'd still have something fun to do instead of being stuck inside a plain old room with nothing to do." remarked the second female, who Riley saw had a full head of hair as she tossed it.

"Well I had to!" shouted the twig man, "She was going far too fast! It was bound to lead to an accident!"

"You Shut Up!" snarled the short man, "If you had just done your job correctly, none of this would have happened!"

"What do you mean "If I had done my job correctly?"

"It's your job to keep her safe you idiot! And now look where she is!"

"It's not my fault!" He turned to the woman who was still trying to start up a lever, "Is it, Joy?" he asked somewhat shakeily.

The woman put a hand on his shoulder, "No Fear, it isn't your fault." She turned to the stout man who had folded his arms in a scowl, "It's No one's fault. We've just had a bit of a malfunction, that's all."

"You can say that again," the petty female droned with another flick of the hair.

"We're shut down! Finished!" the short creature added.

"Ahh! What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?!"

The stout man slapped him, "Get a hold of yourself!"

"Ohh, we're never going to work again! That's sad."

"Now, Now Guys! I know this looks bad! But we can fix this! It just takes s

little faith and a little work."

"I'm too sad to work," the lump complained, shrinking.

"I thought you were upset about never having to work again?"

"That was before I realised there would be a lot of effort involved," the lump said, Riley could see it was also female as she fell to the floor, her face acting as a cushion.

"Well, we have to try. Anger! Try twisting that one! Disgust! Trying pulling that one! Fear!" He jumped. "You start up the switch! I'll try from here! Sadness, make sure you push the tear-jerker, crying might help her wake up right now!"

From her hiding place, Riley watched in curiosity as they all started taking bits and pieces from around the table and started turning them.

"Do you think it worked?!"

"Oh please, we only just started it up!"

"Yeah! It's not like it'll just magically turn on by itself!"

"Oh. How unfortunate."

'Let's test it-I'll get a memory!" the glowing girl rushed over to the wall. "Here." She snatched an orb and began furiously rubbing on it with her hands, arms and even elbows.

"Joy..." the snappy female said, sympathy in her tone, "don't. Please."

"It's fine! You guys, I think I saw a spark!"

"It's no use!" the short man said, "just give it up, we tried but nothing's working."

"We're not giving up! I refuse too!"

The plump one went to tug at her dress, "Joy?"

"Not now Sadness! Please!"

"But Joy-"

"I'm on to something!" she rubber even more vigorously, but the orb remained a lump of stone.

The twig named Fear sighed and headed towards her. "JOY! Stop it!" he said shaking her. The ball fell from her grip as he looked deep into her eyes. "Don't you get it?! Nothing's working. We're done. It's no use."

Joy stared, tears filling her eyes. Riley heard her sniff, sinking to the floor on her knees. Fear bent down and put an arm around her as she began to weep softly. The one named Sadness sat on the other side of her and out her head in Joy's lap.

"I-I thought that-if we-if I tried to-then it would-" she gave up, eventually crying into her hands. Disgust and Anger looked at each other and joined their friend on the floor.

"Well. I guess we have no choice but to stay here." he said.

"Yeah," Disgust said, "I guess there's really nothing else to do."

"Wait!" said Joy, sitting up "Yes there is!" She sprung up suddenly, the smile returning to her face, twirling towards the shelves. "How could I have been so clueless?!"

"Uhh, before jumping into anything, you might want to tell us why first?" Disgust said, her own tone of voice returning.

"The Core Memories! They're not going anywhere! They haven't faded!"

"Your point exactly?" said Anger irritabley.

"Don't you see?!" cried Joy delightedly, "We still have all our core memories intact! The emergency tube directed them to the box over here for safe keeping, Which I might add was Sadness' idea, nice going girl!" she congratulated to which Sadness grinned gracefully.

Riley, sensing the girl's voice to reach her began to bury her way into the brightly colored orbs, so that only her hair was visible.

"All we have to do is take a-" she stopped suddenly, curiosity staining her face.

"Joy?"

"I'd everything alright?"

"Umm..."

Riley felt a sudden, small yet strong tug of her hair, and closed her eyes as she heard a loud gasp.


	5. In Which Riley Meets her Emotions

**A/N: I've tried my best to keep all the emotions in character here, which was an easy yet tricky thing to do. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5: In Which Riley Meets her Emotions

The hand of the girl hovered over Riley for some time, trying to figure out where to pull, how to lift. Finally it felt some soft flesh, and pulled back momentarily. The body above her gasped again, leaping back suddenly as the hidden head stirred underneath the glimmering orbs, moving them and making them clink. The figure moved forwards again as if out of concern they would break, and delicately scooped them up and moved them to the other end of the small container.

Her eyes wide, she slowly peered at the head of the being inside, who was shivering and breathing heavily, each breath sounding more and more like a cry. Joy was certain this wasn't normal, it certainly wasn't a mind-worker who had lost their way from their daily duties. The mind workers! What had happened to them? Where were they now? What could they do now? She didn't have time to answer these questions however, as the body in the container was starting to rock back and forth and shiver.

Riley was lost. She knew it, she had just denied it. It had only been then that she had no idea what had happened to her parents. The only thing she could think of was the life she had left behind. She imagined her mother searching frantically for her, her father calling the police to report her missing. The new bike she loved lying in a puddle in the road beside her house, the room she slept in growing dusty, the empty food bowl that Puff relied on her to fill. Her mother's illness, the fact that any added stress would surely make her worse. All of these things fell on her at this moment, bringing her to the harsh reality: she was nowhere where she could reach them. A voice came from above her, and to her surprise, the thoughts stored themselves away.

"Hey."

It was a calm voice, like warm sunshine. It made Riley feel strangely safe-in a place which she knew she should feel anything but.

"Are you alright?" the voice asked again.

The person didn't stir. Joy bit her lip and mused lightly. She turned to the others who all stared at her blankly shrugging. She turned to Sadness who offered her a modest thumbs up, and Joy returned it. Ever since the two had spent their time outside of Headquarters, Sadness had been giving her sympathy lessons.

"Come on," Joy tried again, laughing lightly "You're not a memory! Come out of there, it can't be too comfortable!" Riley curled up tighter. Joy sighed and Joy said turned to her partners-in-mind. "What now?"

"Try asking her what her name is," Sadness suggested, "if you get her to open up to you, it might help, otherwise just back away slowly and let them cry until they can't think of breath."

"I don't think we should interfere you guys," said Disgust, "it might carry germs."

"Eek! Germs?! What?!" said Fear cowering behind Anger who grabbed his neck, making his eyeballs bulge.

"It's probably just one of the forgettors playing a prank," he stated, brushing it off, "or have you all forgotten the annoying jingles those morons like to send up here all the time?!"

"Happy place, happy place!" wheezed Fear, still in his grip.

"Oh Sure, I'll give you "happy place" smirked Anger, "RIGHT AFTER I SEND YOU TO YOUR OWN!"

"You guys!"

"What?!" muttered Anger gruffly, letting go of Fear's nose, to which he let out a painful sigh of relief.

"We've got a problem on our hands right now. Don't you see?"

"I'll say!"

"Hm-hmm!"

"A big problem."

"ARE WE GOING TO EXPLODE?!"

"Just be calm, whoever this is, lost mind worker or not, let's give them a great big Riley's head welcome! Now let me see your Welcome faces!"

Fear grinned nervously, Anger gritted his teeth, raising his brows, Disgust grimaced and Sadness pulled the corners of her mouth up.

"Close enough!" she turned to the body offering her hand, which to her surprise she took reluctantly. To Riley, it was like touching a flame that never seared skin.

"Welcome, O'stranger to our humble abode! We're glad to have ya-!" She gasped very loudly, the others did the same.

It wasn't a mind worker, or a dream worker or any bizarre creation from Imaginationland.

It was a young girl.

A young girl, with pale skin and blue eyes, sandy hair gangly limbs and star patterned clothes. If they hadn't known for themselves they hadn't met her before as a child, they would have assumed she was a ghost, or a fictitious character buried just outside their own home, dug up by workers who had sent her up to headquarters, having no idea what to do with her.

They knew. Joy knew it too.

Seeing the small creature Riley saw before her now, as tall as herself, she knew she had been right. It definitely wasn't human. It was a ghost of some kind, a spirit. She knew because her entire figure was eminating a soft light. Riley could see her form, but not much else. She wore a yellow dress, patterned with stars like her own. She had human skin, but her features were delicate, almost elf-like. She had stars for eyes, and a tuft of blue pixie hair topped her head. The head was much bigger than Riley's, a small round boulder. She was far from afraid of her however, as she stepped slowly towards her. She noticed as she got closer, that her feet were bare, much like her own. This girl was so much like her, the same weight, eye color, skin, attire, minus the hair.

She flinched slightly as the apparition touched her face, traced her freckles and moved away a strand of stray hair. She blinked once or twice, never letting her gaze leave the girl's face. Then she stepped back, joining the other figures in the low light.

"Riley?"

The girl instantly looked up, her eyes full of hope, and apprehension. "How do you know my name?" she whispered.

"Riley? It is you!"

She jumped back so the girl could see her fully, her blue eyes beaming, thin limbs behind her back, blue hair alight.

"It is you," she said again cautiously, "isn't it?"

Before she knew it, Riley responded in a slight nod.

The spirit suddenly went haywire, her dress billowing in a tail of light as she pirroueted gleefully around the room, "Oooooohh! I knewitIkewitIkewitIknewit! I just knew it! I thought I recognised you from the bedroom mirror, but I wasn't so sure, but now I AM! HA HA! She turned round in the darkness, "You guys! It's Riley! It's Riley! It's really her! It's okay you can come out!"

Seeing the confusion spread in the girl's face, she hurriedly stepped into it, "Oh, uh-Fear! Can we get the lights working please?"

A short whimper came from the shadows, "S-Sure!"

A small scuttling of feet was heard, as the sound of levers, yelps, bangs and crashes came from a corner. Joy came back out, "Miss me?"

The girl stared back in amazement, and Joy beamed, trying to ignore the loud awkward noises coming from the back.

"It'll just take a second!" she said laughing nervously. The noises continued. "Aaaannnny second now!"

Suddenly, there was a ringing sound, and a cry of "Oh! It's good. We're good!" The lights came on instantly, immediately brightening up the room a great deal. Riley blinked at the sudden brightness, but no longer felt as frightened as she had before.

She saw the spirit, less brighter now, but still clearer, standing on her toes and measuring her. "Hmmmm, you're a lot smaller than I pictured you being! And a whole lot cuter, ooh! Just look at those cheeks, you're so little! I'm just kidding, but Wow! And oh, you're wearing your star pajamas! I always loved those!"

Riley's eyes wandered to the others who stood there, mouths hanging open. "Ohh! Goodness! Where are my manners? Ahem! Riley, I'm Joy, and this is Sadness, Anger, Disgust-"

Riley stared at them, she knew it was impolite to do so but she couldn't help it. They all looked so strange. Whereas the star girl had looked elfin, these almost alien in comparison.

The one named Sadness was also a girl, not a young one, possibly a good deal older than her, but still very small. She was round and tubby, with short strands of blue hair and cerulean skin, wearing a light grey turtleneck sweater and round indigo glasses, that looked far too big for her. She had bright blue eyes, but they were far less brighter than her upbeat friend. She stared at Riley, eyes wide, mouth open in wonder. Riley could see a pair of tiny buck teeth, reminding her fondly of a toy rabbit she had once kept.

The second, Anger was a very stout looking short red man, with a square shapes head, amber eyes and large shoes, wearing a a cream shirt and tie with brown pants. He stared at her, speechless his own large choppers slightly visible. She saw a strong resemblance to her father which sent a pang of longing in her once again.

The third, Disgust was a girl, possibly older than both Joy and Sadness

together, with olive skin, a mane of shiny green hair and emerald eyes. She wore a jade dress with a lime miniskirt and patterning. She wore a dumbfounded look, her green hand up to her pink lipped mouth in shock. Riley thought she looked like one of the fashionable dolls she and Meh used to dress when they were both eight.

"aand, where's Fear?"

"Right here!" came a voice, edgy, yet chirpy. As he entered from the corner, Riley could see that he wasn't a twig at all. He looked more like a raw nerve, his skin mauve and fuzzy, large dark eyes with enormous eyebrows and what appeared to be antennae growing from his head. He was dressed smartly, in a checked sweater of black and purple with grey pants. Riley couldn't help but hide a giggle.

"What is it ya need Joy-Ohoyyyhoyeeoyeeoy!" he faltered as he noticed Riley.

"H-Hii!" she managed.

Fear dropped the coffee mug he was holding, pulled his lids down and screamed, causing everyone to cover their ears.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" he blurted, frantically heading over a filing cabinet and fumbling with a key, "PleaseohPleaseohpleaseohpleasee-JOOOOY?! DO WE HAVE ANYTHING FOR A SITUATION CODE: CMBD?!"

"Uhh...I'm not sure what that is?" Joy called back.

"A Code: Complete Mental Breakdown Disorder!" said Fear wringing his purple limbs. "We've finally snapped! It's the end! The end I'm telling you!"

Joy laughed and rolled her eyes. "And, well, you've met Fear. He's uh, he's pretty sprightly!"

 _"I'M FREAKING OUT! SOMEBODY GET ME A BAG!"_

"Ugh! He's hyperventilating again!" groaned Disgust.

"I'm on it," sighed Sadness waddling off to fetch Fear's "relax bag."

"And We're Your Emotions!" said Joy throwing her arms out enthusiastically, yet still unceremoniously, as Riley did nothing but offer her a blank stare in return.

"Excuse me," said Anger, forcing a smile, "I'm the little voice in the backseat, here. You may not remember me but CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHAT THE HECK'S GOING ON?!"

"Ssh! Relax Anger! I don't know, just yet, but I'm working on it! Where did I put those manuals...?"

"We don't need a manual! We need a God-forsaken Map to the New World!" exclaimed Anger, "Even that'd be easier to find an answer in than one of your measly manuals!"

Joy exhaled sharply! "I told you! I'm working on it! You need to calm down Mister!"

Riley stepped back in surprise as embers began to form on the top of Anger's flat square head. He growled, as the heat turned the air hazy.

"I'm on that too," Sadness sighed again, jumping down from the ramp after giving Fear his bag and went to go and find Anger's watering can.

Joy meanwhile flicked through a shelf full of neatly pressed documents and white labeled folders, searching for the oldest one she had seen so many times. "Where is it, where is it...I knew I left it around here somewhere..." she turned to Riley who had been waiting patiently all the time taking in her surroundings. "Why don't you take a seat Riley, I'll be with you in a moment!" Riley nodded, still unaware she was doing so, yet walking slowly down the steps to a large purple plush couch with pink cushions. She sat down, still trying to take in everything that had happened. Trying to figure out why she was here...

"Want one?" a slim green wrist offered her a bowl of chocolates she had been guzzling. She stared at them uncertain. She knew they couldn't be real, this was just a dream after all. The bowl shook as the arm holding it became restless. "Come on, I haven't got all day! It's chocolate, not poison!" Hesitantly, Riley took one wrapped in rose foil, opened it and popped in her mouth. It had raspberry caramel inside, one of her favourites. She savoured the sweet taste as her sofa companion continued to suck the honeycomb out of the others, taking great pleasure in doing so.

"Let's see what's on," she said her mouth full. She snapped a white remote from under the cushions and flicked it. The screen lit up into bubbling static. Disgust tried some more, ferociously stabbing the buttons with her nail. "Joy! The screen's still out!"

"Go check with Fear! He's Mr-Fix it!" Joy called from the shelf.

"Can't you see I'm busy panicking here?!"

"Anger?"

"Don't look at me, I only get things to work by hitting them-and could you tell Eeoyre here to stop pouring water on me?!"

"S-sorry!" said Sadness lowering the trickling gardening tool. "But, Joy says you have to calm down."

"I don't give a-"

"Easy Anger!" said Joy, "Ah-ha! Here it is! If it had been Anger it would have flamed me!"

Anger couldn't help but chuckle at this comment, he turned Sadness, taking the watering can"Uh, I'll keep this for now thanks."

"Oh, what so you can sprinkle your little head if things get too much?" smirked Disgust.

"Watch it Sister!"

"Ooh, temper Temper! You'll never get anywhere with that attitude!"

"Why I outta-"

"Guys! Ssh! I said I have the book!"

Joy managed to drag Fear out of his corner and bring him to the couch. "Alright, everyone! I've found it, gather round! You too Sadness, Riley sit down. Now, where was it-?"

"Page 352?" Sadness spoke up.

"Uh-yeah. How did you-?"

"I've read that book so many times. It's the reason it's falling apart."

Joy held the book upside down as 20 pages or so spilled out onto the floor.

"Right. 352. Here it is!" She cleared her throat and read aloud:

"The brain epicentre is where most of the emotional activity occurs, as well as processing information, see (cerebral cortex) but it is not equal to that of the memory storage, (see Hippocampus)"

"ARRGH! Just skip to the important part!" snapped Anger.

She skipped a few paragraphs. "However, the effects on orbs in memory dump which cause dullness, a hard surface, cracking and eventual fading can occur in other memories in the epicentre as well. This can happen through amnesia, loss with reality, hypnosis or even-"

She stopped talking suddenly backing up against the wall of shelves and knocking the folders askew.

"Doesn't what?" Anger said.

"Joy?" said Sadness, "what's wrong?"

Riley watched as Joy studied the book carefully. "No, no that can't be right!" "What is it? Is it bad?" said Fear biting his nails.

Joy's eyes scanned the paper erratically. "You guys...Riley's in a coma."

"WHAT?!" all four shouted.

"A coma?!" whimpered Fear, "are you sure?"

"That's what it says here," said Joy pointing at the book.

"Oh, that's horrible!" said Disgust.

"Is she going to wake up?" Sadness asked, though she already knew the answer."

Before Joy could answer, Anger piped up, "Uhh, guys?" He gestured to Riley who had taken to the container lifting out the orbs. "Who's going to tell her?" Riley swiped her finger across the smooth surface and blinked in surprise as it rewound itself.

"Is she allowed to do that?" inquired Sadness cocking her head.

"Sure she can," said Joy, "they're her memories. I'll tell her."

Riley rewound the orbs again and again. It was a yellow one, a happy one. She was completely transfixed. She could see her, her mother, her father all out on the icy lake in Minnesota together. She couldn't have been any older than two or three. She was tumbling about, before shooting a puck through a goal, to which both parents scooped her in their arms and congratulated her. She stiffened but did not take her eye off the ball for a moment as she noticed Joy stand beside her.

"It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"I remember that day, you were just a year old. Mom and Dad took you to the local park, near the woods and you played on the swings, climbed up the ropes, slid down the fireman's pole and tried out the monkey bars. Then you went skating and Mom and Dad took you for Ice Cream even though it was the middle of January."

Riley looked up at the spirit she no longer feared. "How do you know all this?"

"I told you!" Joy shrugged, "I'm am emotion. It's what I do. I've kept every happy memory. Look, here's when you and Dad went to the Carnival for the first time, Oh! You looked so pretty in your little ponytail, and dress. And look, look! Here's the team cheering you on after the Prairie Dogs lost! You cheered up so much, you forgot about quitting."

She handed Riley the orbs. "But so far, this one's my favourite," She took out what looked to be a new orb, a shinier orb, much brighter than the rest.

"Your first bike," she smiled handing it to Riley who replayed it over and over again, smiling. Joy's own smile faded after she remembered what she was supposed to do. She combed a stray piece of blue hair behind her ears.

"Look, Riley, I know this is confusing for you. Trust me it is for us too, but there's something we need to explain to you."

Riley put the orbs back into the container to show she was listening.

"This. Place is-well, it isn't exactly how you think it is, or what you think it is, and you're probably wondering why you're here or how you got here, and well. Lemme start again! Sometimes, what seems to be real is fake and what seems to be not real is fake-BAH No that's not right either!"

"We're in your mind." said a morbid voice from her side. Riley looked to see Sadness staring up at her, expression down, but eyes twinkling slightly. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and continued to stare at her.

"My-M-mind?" Riley said at last.

"Yep! Welcome Kiddo!" said Anger warmly for once.

"It's great to have you!" said Disgust, equally unusually friendly.

"Yeah," agreed Fear, "considering I had a good session of freaking out and wetting myself over there and flying through every worst possible outcome for this, I'd say I'm pleased to meet you too."

Riley showed no sign of panic, although she did back away slightly.

"We're the little people who live in your head."

"Sadness! Don't freak her out!" Joy turned to Riley, "look, what we're trying to say is, We all love you Riley and we are just so glad to finally meet you! After all these years!"

Riley's eyes darted from one emotion to the other. "You've -been expecting me?"

"Of course-Well, no not exactly!" said Joy, "but listen. As much as I carry most of the good vibes around here,I'm sad to say that I have some bad news for you this time."

Riley waited. Joy reached out and put a hand on Riley's shoulder. "Riley..." she closed her eyes, deciding to get it over with- "Riley, you're in a Coma, and your brain is in shutdown right now because you had a bike accident, and we weren't careful enough-" She opened her eyes to see she was holding thin air. "Huh?"

She and the other emotions turned to see a frantic Riley attempting to break the glass that looked out onto her personality islands.

"Uh-oh!"

Riley kicked and punched, hurting her fist.

"Well, we're doomed." sighed Anger, "looks like I'm not the only one in need of calming down."

Watching the girl kick the glass and fail each time made each emotion wince as she threw out curse word after curse word.

"I'll get the watering can," said Sadness.


	6. In Which Riley is Brought to Terms

Chapter 6: In Which Riley is Brought to Terms

The emotions sat on the large couch, trying to kill time as their human friend was still attempting to kick open the glass wall. Fear lay half asleep, his head resting on his skinny elbows. He snapped awake every so often after hearing another loud thump from Riley who was kicking with all her might.

Disgust yawned checking her nails, Anger sat next to her, yet still keeping his distance as she had tried to melt chocolate on his fiery head. He was scowling, his growing impatience shown through his large fingers tapping rhythmically on the arm rest.

Joy and Sadness sat on the floor, Sadness cross-legged, Joy on her stomach, both building a house of cards the emotions kept in their activity drawer. Joy had just placed the final card on top when a sudden yawn from Sadness knocked them down again. Joy sighed, picking them up and starting again.

Considering Riley had only just stumbled across their workplace, through a tube, landing in a pile of her own memories-it was only natural that she would have a few questions. As Joy had tried to guide her away from the window, and Fear had ducked as a chair bounced off the glass and headed straight for him, the other emotions knew it was going to take a while. Anger suggested a time out, Disgust a lack of attention. Sadness' plan had eventually been settled on; To let Riley throw her little tantrum, give her some space and then maybe lock her in a room and listen to her cry at the door until she was ready to talk again. Though Joy had decided not to put the last part into play.

Suddenly Anger growled loudly and jumped up.

"WOULD SOMEONE SHUT HER UP ALREADY?! IT'S BEEN OVER 10 MINUTES!"

Fear's head slipped onto Digust's head, and she lifted him off with her pinky to prevent him from salivating on her dress. He awoke with a start as he was pushed upwards. "Uh, What?" he stuttered, sleepily.

"Next time, don't put your grubby hands all over me!" Disgust scolded.

Fear laughed nervously, "Wouldn't dream of it, Disgust!"

"Yeah!" said Anger, his turn to tease, "She doesn't want your dirt on her, she's already got enough of her own!"

Disgust narrowed her eyes, and Fear cringed. This was wasn't going to end well!

"I have enough dirt? What about you? You're the grimeist, grossest, most evil little goblin I have ever met!"

"Goblin?! If I'm a goblin, sweetheart, you're a slimy slug!"

"Aah, I get it! Because I'm green! That's clever, you're Cle-vur!" she said patting him on the head patronizingly, "you deserve an award! Well, if I'm a slug, you're a fat red bellied frog!"

"You take that back!"

" _Make me!"_

"Knock it off you two," warned Joy placing another card on top, "We aren't going to get her anywhere if we just stand about arguing."

"Yeah," sighed Sadness, "listening to you both arguing all the time makes me tired." She yawned and fell onto her back, the sudden movement making Joy's cardhouse fall again.

"Sadness! You ruined my castle!"

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine-just. Try not to be so clumsy."

"Being clumsy is something I'm good at," Sadness replied, "You're asking me to give it up?"

"No No no no-Sadness!"

"Am I just too awful to even be clumsy?!" she wailed.

"No!" cringed Joy, realising she had set her off, "don't be like that now!"

Sadness' bottom lip quivered, "No! NO! Don't you start crying! Aww, come on Sadness, please don't do this, remember the funny movie where the boy was stung to death-"

Sadness melted into a wailing puddle on the floor. Joy sighed, exasperated. Being the head emotion wasn't easy. Whether it was breaking up an argument between Anger and Disgust, trying to calm down Fear or cheering up Sadness, in between keeping Riley happy and healthy her job did have some setbacks. She glanced at her girl who was still frantically trying to break open the glass. Joy rolled her eyes but decided to keep her calm as well. Considering there wasn't really an outside Riley to control anymore, a small one on the inside would give her something to contend with.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Joy, chuckling but still serious, " that's a forty foot fall to Memory Dump down there!"

Riley looked down and stepped back in surprise as she was treated to more darkness. A darkness that seemed to go on and on. She realised what she had almost fallen into, and backed away in case the glass were to break suddenly just then.

"S-Sorry," said Riley, "I shouldn't have been so dense. I just thought I'd I could escape-"

"Escape?" said Anger, "there's no way to escape here, kiddo. That glass is throw-proof, no simple object can break it and it cannot be broken by brute force." Then with an unsettling smile he added, "I'm the only one who knows how to open it!"

"Oh yeah, with your special powers. I remember." smiled Disgust.

"Do you wanna start this again!?" yelled Anger shaking his red fist at her.

"Guys! What did I tell you? It's okay Riley! Besides, we don't blame you-do we?"

She looked round to the other emotions who all stood rubbing their arms uncomfortably, "Y-Yeah, sure, course not."

Joy turned round, but Riley, upon hearing there was no real exit, had bolted into a corner and was trying to put her foot through the wall.

"Oh brother," muttered Joy, "Listen, Riley-!"

"Stay away from me!"

"Please, I know it's-"

"Just leave me alone!" shouted the girl kicking the wall harder.

"She's gonna mark the paintwork," sighed Fear rubbing his eyes.

Joy tried to pull Riley away from the wall, but ended up on the floor as Riley's hockey muscles worked in her favour.

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Joy stared at her, with expression full of shock and disappointment. Riley was shaking a little, but it didn't stop the scowl on her face as she stomped her way up the ramp and headed to the first door she saw and slammed it shut behind her.

Joy sat still for a moment or two before picking herself up, a look of hurt in her blue eyes. She eventually felt a tug at her dress and heard Disgust's voice behind her.

"Joy?"

Looking down she saw Sadness offering her a tissue. Joy didn't know how, but she felt as if Sadness had a sixth sense or psychic ability for when people were going to cry. As much as she wanted to burst into tears at the point she decided to politely refuse Sadness' offer to which she stuffed it back into her turtleneck almost as if she would need it later.

Joy turned around to see Disgust, Anger and Fear, all looking at her with concern. She knew she would have to say something, she couldn't pretend they hadn't seen.

"What's gotten up Riley's nose?" Disgust asked.

"If you ask me, she needs a good foot-down!" added Anger.

"She didn't hurt you too badly did she Joy?" Fear asked.

"Why do you care?" questioned Anger, brows raised.

"Ehh, becaaaause- as an emotion, it's my job to keep Riley safe, so it's also my job to look out for fellow teammates too!" said Fear indignantly, wiping down his sweater and coughing, "Wow, is Friendship Island bright tonight or what?"

"The islands have stopped working, genius." Disgust said flatly.

"Uh, I mean, hey-the orbs are all-"

"They've stopped working too," said Anger steadily.

Fear laughed nervously.

"I'm fine guys, really," although her face showed anything but. She glanced up at the door she seen Riley retreat to and then pushed past the others to get to the ramp. Fear, Anger and Disgust were quick to try and stop her. Sadness remained in place, observing.

"Woah Woah Woah Woah! You cannot go up there!" said Fear.

"Why not?"

"She's a girl going through changes, Joy. I've read about them, when they get to this age the hormones kick in and everything goes insane!"

"I knew we should never have pushed that Poo-ber-ty button," grumbled Anger, "You can't go up there Joy, it's no use arguing with her, never try and do my job for me. In fact, I should go!"

"Oh please, you're way too aggressive for something like this," scoffed Disgust, pushing him aside, "I'll go, Joy."

"You?"

"Sure! Why not? I'm smart, helpful, I have an incentive- without me, Riley would go to school in a garbage bag!"

"No! No one is going up there!" Fear said using his hands as a barrier.

"I appreciate it, Disgust but I think I got this."

"Suit yourself. Just don't send Fire Pants over there!"

Anger bared his teeth. "I am NOT Aggressive!" he shouted, pulling Fear to the floor by his nose.

"Anger-I-I can't breath-"

"I think Joy should go."

"ISN'T ANYBODY LISTENING TO ME?!" wheezed Fear.

Everyone looked at Sadness who stood twiddling her thumbs, faltering as she realised she had attracted attention. "W-What I mean is, J-J-Joy should g-go because she's the most-"

"Why can't you do it?" said Anger, "isn't being depressed your thing?"

"Yeah but," she began to bury herself in her sweater like a tortoise shrinking into it's shell, "I-I'm not so good at talking about my problems. Can't we just leave her alone to cry until her eyes get tired?"

"Okay guys! It's fine! I volunteer, okay?"

"You could get hurt again!"

"Fear, come on! It's Riley we're talking about!"

"I don't know, sometimes it's the people you think you know who can be the worst."

"Yeah, maybe Riley isn't as great as you built her up to be" said Disgust, folding her arms, "can I get some more choc drops?"

"You are them all," grimaced Anger, "you can't keep your big mouth shut, if you aren't flapping your lip all the time, your stuffing it full of snacks!"

"Better then being an overbearing fat buzzkill!"

"You watch your language!"

"My language? You were the one swearing like a sailor yesterday!"

"Well, you're stupid!"

"Ohh, great comeback. If you're going to insult me, at least do it right!"

"Broccoli Hair!"

"Hothead!"

"Green Meanie!"

"Square Face!"

"Guys-" said Fear, quietly pointing upwards.

"Broccoli babe!"

"You already gave a broccoli related insult!" hurled Disgust, "and for you just call me "Babe?"

That threw Anger off as he suddenly looked worried, and stepped back slightly, "Uh?"

"Guys!"

"WHAT?!" they yelled on unison.

"Joy's gone," said Sadness pointing lethargicly, before Fear could get the words out. In frustration, Fear pulled his lids down, ran to the couch, grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.

* * *

Joy hesitated as she grabbed the doorknob, thinking deeply to herself. What if Disgust was right? What if Riley really wasn't who she though she was? Joy couldn't understand it-she had watched Riley from a baby, from an infant, to a young girl. She knew her better than anybody, maybe even more than her parents. Exhaling sharply and letting her diaphragm unwind itself, she knocked ever so slightly on the purple wood.

"Riley?"

She pulled it open, surprised it hadn't locked itself from the slam, peering through one eye, "Hel-ooo?"

She saw the girl was lying curled up into a ball on the violet-sheeted bed, her feet tucked in, head on her knees.

Joy couldn't help but swallow some tears. She hated seeing Riley so upset, all the emotions knew she had to leave the room whenever Sadness was working the control panel. "Hey." She went to sit on the side of the bed, Riley's form instantly lit by the glow from the being next to her.

"I, thought you might like some company," Joy offered, "just you know-"

She tried a different approach. "Hey! Monkey!" She contorted her face into a primate grin, but the girl just curled up even more. "Uh, hey Riley. Look at this! Blalala-ghh!" she pulled the funniest, freakiest face she knew, but still no response. Sighing, Joy decided to resort to Sadness' methods.

She reached out and put a glowing arm on Riley's shoulder.

Riley, who had been sitting hidden in the shadows for what seemed so long. The sudden bright light was a startling feeling, but the sudden warmth on her shoulder, made her knees lower. It felt nice, as though a hot piece of fresh clothing had been placed on it, that every weight that had ever been applied to it had been lifted.

"Riley, listen to me, please. I know this is a big shock for you, it is for everyone, us, especially your poor Mom and Dad. But, listen I want to help you..."

There was no reply. Sighing, Joy got up to leave.

"Why am I here?"

"Huh?" Joy stopped and nudged Riley's shoulder again. "Hey, come on. Sit up for Joy." Joy cursed herself mentally for talking to Riley as though she were still a baby. She couldn't help it, this was the same girl she had seen take to the ice like a penguin, created amazing worlds, told great stories and knew so many answers in class. She couldn't help but feel as though she deserved a little bit of family status. "Come on."

Slowly but surely Riley sat up, her sandy hair in tufts, her eyes raw from crying. At this, Joy tried to push away more misery.

"There ya go! Ooh, lemme just fix your hair for you-" as she went to touch her again, she flinched and leapt backwards, her back touching the wall, eyes full of uncertainty. "Woah, hey! What's wrong?" Riley said nothing, but her heart was beating in her ears.

"I won't hurt you," smiled Joy, "I promise."

It was strange, but it was these words that relaxed Riley a little and allowed herself to slowly come away from the wall, and to the side of the bed to allow Joy to set her hair back in place, and even kiss her on the forehead. "There! All better!" It was then that Riley put a hand to her scalp and took it away in an instant in surprise. "My...My stitches! They've gone!"

"Stitches?" Joy felt her good feelings drop to her stomach as she remembered Riley still hadn't been properly told about her situation.

"Oh, those. You mean you remember them?"

"Well. Yeah, course I remember. I was in a room, everything was shaking and moving, and I could hear traffic. My Mom and Dad were there...and then..." her face turned from sorrowful to terrified as something seemed to click. "W-Where are they?!"

"Now-no need to panic, but-"

That was what set Riley off, as easily as Fear or Sadness. "Where are my parents? Where are my Mom and Dad, what's going on?"

Joy grabbed a hold of both her shoulders, instantly throwing her into a state of calm. "Riley. I think it would just be best if I told it to you straight. You're in a coma. You have been for a while now, Fear reckons it was about eight hours ago you first crashed your bike."

Joy watched as Riley's eyes darted around but her body stayed perfectly still. "No..."

"I'm sorry Riley," said Joy, looking straight into the girl's eyes, "you hit that delivery truck full force. There was glass everywhere, even in those pretty eyes of yours. You suffered bruising on your head, and you seem to remember Mom and Dad with is, when we were being sewed up in the ambulance." Riley wanted but didn't leave Joy's face. She just shook her head, in completely silent disbelief. "You. You blacked out after that. Then our screen stopped working and our panel turned rock solid, as did most of your memories. But on the bright side, your core ones are okay. Sadness came up with a way that in case of emergency, they'd be filtered into a safe zone. You must have landed on it when you came to us."

"Why am I with you?" Riley questioned, eyes brimming.

"I, I don't really know either," admitted Joy. "But I'll tell you this, we're happy to have you! And as soon as we figure out how to get everything up and running again, I promise we'll all do our best to try and wake you up again."

Riley's heart was pounding so fast, she feared it might have burst. She felt herself, chest, shoulders, face, checked both the palms and backs of her hands. If she really was in a coma, asleep and shut out from the outside world, then why was she here?

"Why am I here?" she asked again, growing slightly impatient. "If I'm sleeping, shouldn't I be-well, sleeping?"

Joy smiled empathetically. "It's not as logical as you may think. Believe me, around here, nothing is. But Riley listen. You're still you. Well, not you you, but your true self. Your inner self. Just because the outside of you isn't working doesn't mean to say your true self hasn't still got some energy. If you get my drift?"

Riley nodded, but she didn't fully understand. "So, you're my "Joy?"

Joy beamed and her skin shone. "Atta girl! Now you're getting it! Hey, do you remember that time you and Meg went to jump rope and you tripped over and fell on your tush? And the n you both started laughing?"

Riley looked up, a smile returning to her face. "Yeah! That was funny! How did you know I had a friend called Meg?"

Joy winked. "I'm your emotion silly! Joy! Every time with Meg, was hysterical! Boy that girl could tell jokes! Every hockey match you've ever win, every game you've ever played, song you've sung or friend you've made-I was there Riley. I was standing right by your side, cheering you on. All of us were."

"Us?"

"The other emotions. Would you like to come back out? Meet them properly?" Riley sniffed before finally replying, "Yes."

"Great! Let's go!" Joy ran to open the door, but paused when she noticed how hesitant she was. "What's wrong?"

Riley was looking down at her knees again. "They won't want to meet me now. Not after what I did to you."

"Oh! Don't be silly! I'm fine, see!" She threw her arms up, but lowered them as tears began to spring from the girl's eyes.

"I-I don't w-want to be here!" she said in between cries, "I want t-to be with my Mom and Dad! I don't know how to find them! I just w-want to g-get out!"

Joy joined her at side of the bed, seeing her whole body shake uncontrollably. An atm found it's way onto Riley's shoulder, but this time,she didn't resist. Instead she threw her own arms around the spirit, who blinked in surprise, but wasted no time in returning the embrace. She thought about what Sadness had told her, about letting them cry it out. Joy tried hearing Riley's mother in her head. What would she say at a time like this? Joy remembered once when Riley had a boo-boo when she was younger. She had jammed it in a door during playtime, and was roaring. Mom had put cream and a bandage on and kisses it better.

"There, There," Joy soothed "it's okay. I'm here. Everything's going to be alright..."

 ***film where boy is stung to death: My Girl**

 **This was excruciatingly hard to write, which is why I haven't updated sooner, my apologies! If you could take the time to write a longer review, I'd greatly appreciate it! :)**


	7. In Which Riley's Thoughts areput at Ease

Chapter 7: In Which Riley's Thoughts are put at Ease

When one is in a situation their mind cannot comprehend, it usually comes up with a way of dealing with it, such as counting to ten, or reciting a poem as a distraction, or even convincing itself what it's seeing is not real. What it's hearing is not the truth. Therefor, the whole journey Riley had been through seemed as if it had been something she had merely read about, it had been someone else's. She tried her best to push it down, think of it as never existing. She didn't ever want to see those tunnels again, never ever wanted to stumble through thick s as darkness, her own feet invisible, beneath a blanket of cloud, legs being scratched at with thorns that appeared from nowhere.

Now, she sat in the middle of the large couch, being studied by a host of her emotions who for some reason wouldn't stop staring at her, even after she had apologised to Joy. They seemed to want to touch her too, especially her hands and face, as if they wanted to make sure this was really happening just as much as she did. All they had done since she had emerged was look at her as if she was the most interesting thing in the world.

"So, you guys are like...my fellings...?" she asked slowly.

"Well, basically yeah!" said Disgust, flying with Riley's sandy hair, "We're the reason you feel the way you do."

"When you're awake of course," added Anger, poking her kneecaps, "We aren't exactly responsible for-" he gestured to Riley's full form. "Whatever you've got going on right now."

"And...this is my _head_. Right?"

"It can't be anywhere else!" stated Anger.

"So. I'm sorry. I don't really fully understand. All of you are my emotions?"

"Yes! Exactly!" said Joy happily, "I'm glad you're starting to warm up a bit, you were so edgy before. I know you had a reason to be, but still! It didn't exactly help that you chose to hide in Fear's room."

"So, if you're my Joy," she pointed to her to which Joy waved, "then the rest of you must be..."

Rather bravely, the plump little blue creaure shuffled towards her and extended her hand, "Umm, I'm Sadness." Riley shook it. "Nice to meet you, Sadness. I'm Riley."

"I know." Sadness responded. "I was there when you first cried after you were born. And when you lost your final match against the Kentucky Kuckoos. And when all your goldfish died. And-"

"Okay, Sadness I think that's enough," said Joy gently, "I think she gets it."

"Well, I was there when she waited at the bus stop for hours in the pouring rain, and it was all cold and shivery, and her boots were soggy and the bus wouldn't come. And she waited and waited and by the time she came home, she'd caught a cold. "

"Sadness-!"

"She stayed in bed and slept forever! She just lay there feeling sorry for herself."

"That was you?" said Riley, a smile appearing.

"Y-Yeah." said Sadness shooting her one of her own rare smiles, "You remember?"

"Yeah! I felt awful that day! I remember I thought I was going to die!"

"Slight overreaction," laughed Joy.

"I can't believe you remember!" said Sadness, happier than Joy had ever seen her, "do you remember the time you saw Meg run off with another girl and you were left at the curb all alone?"

"Yes, I-" Riley sighed a little, "Yeah I do."

"I was there too. I was working the controls most of that day-until Joy found me and shoved me back in my circle so you could play on the merry-go-round-"

"Uhh, okay Sadness, let's just let Riley meet everybody else for the moment. "So, you're...Anger?" Anger looked up from his newspaper.

"That'd be correct."

"So what exactly do you do?"

"Well," said Anger getting up, "You know that annoying alarm clock that wakes you up for school?" Riley nodded. "Well, I'm the guy who mashed it to a pulp!" he said proudly, "I got you through karate lessons, your hockey finals and I'm the reason you're so passionate about morals and ethics during debate class. I helped you to win that for and against wild duck hunting, remember when you told the whole class everything has a right to live without threat of a gun?"

Riley laughed. "Oh Yeah! That debate! Wow, I got really mad that day!" she added blushing.

"Helped you win, didn't I?" He shrugged. "I'm also the one who makes you curse, and let me tell you, we've gotten pretty good at it!"

Joy, Fear and Sadness looked around uncomfortably. Disgust seemed to cough out something mean behind Anger's paper.

" Can you remember the time you got really riled up?"

"Don't you mean "riley-d up?!" said Joy cackling at her own joke, "Er, sorry carry on!" Riley thought, "Well...I remember once there was a mean girl on the playground at my old school-"

"Mattie Zadler," interuppted Anger.

"Yeah? You remember too?"

"I remember all your school bullies," he replied matter-of-factly, beginning to list them off on his fingers. "There was Mattie, the girl who picked on you mercilessly and pushed you out on the ice one day, that boy who stuck gum in your hair, the kid who teased you in class, the girl who wrote mean things about you on social media-"

"So, you were the reason I smashed my phone?" Riley cringed.

"Basically. But it was a cheap model anyway, you could have done better."

"It was an SX White, Genius!" snapped Disgust, "only the coolest phone out there! She would have looked awesome bringing that thing into school but Noooo, you had to go throw one of your crazy little tantrums and ruin her social life!"

"Me? Ruin her social life? That's your job isn't it?" glared Anger, eyes full of hate.

"At least I make decisions that don't ultimately end up getting Riley in trouble!" Disgust said catily, "remember that bright idea of yours to talk back to the physics teacher and land us all in detention?"

"She was the one who was out of order," said Anger sourley, "we showed her who was boss anyway! Stupid old hag handing on homework on the last week of term...who does she think she is?!"

"A teacher, dummy." Disgust responded.

Anger grabbed his newspaper and placed it over his head to avoid a fiery explosion in front of Riley. That didn't stop flames spurting out to singe the "School Cancelled, Riley Bedridden" columns. Riley watched in wonder as the little man's head began to glisten underneath his printed umbrella.

"Someone's about to blow a fuse!" giggled Disgust.

"So, who are you?" Riley asked the green maiden.

"I'm Disgust," she replied, shooting Riley a smug grin, "I stop you from being poisoned or contaminated, physically and socially!"

"So, what's it your job to do?" Riley asked, somewhat interested.

"Well, I'm the one who stood you from wearing spots and stripes together, keeps you away from strangers you don't know, helps you stick to a style that suits you and most importantly decide what you eat- just to name a few things."

"You help me pick what I eat?" said Riley.

"Well, your least favourite food is broccoli, right?"

"Yes, how did you-" she stopped herself, since finally knowing that these strange entities were her emotions, there was no point in telling them or asking anything about herself since they had proved they already held knowledge on every detail, "I mean, how do you do that?"

"With this thing," Disgust lead her to the small white table Riley had seen them pushing on earlier. As she got closer, she saw it wasn't a table at all, but a control panel, with multi coloured buttons and levers dotted in straight or horizontal lines. Disgust began playing with one of them, searching for what Riley thought to be an on switch. When she thought the emotion wasn't looking, she went to touch a red lever sticking out at an odd angle as though it had been jammed somehow. Before her fingers could skim the smooth surface however, Disgust's green hand shot out and swatted it away. "Uh-Uh! Don't touch! We can't risk even the slightest accident right now."

"Why not?"

"Duh! Because nothing's working! You aren't even working," sighed Disgust rolling her eyes, "I know you just got here but keep up, okay?"

Riley's face fell, but feeling a soft leaf grace her chin she looked up to see Disgust, hand on one hip and laughing. "I'm just kidding! If you haven't already guessed it, I've got a pretty sick sense of humor! They don't call me Disgust for nothing you know." Stopping to yelp as she felt an electric pulse through her fingertips, she teetered slightly and brushed against a large lever. As she did so, the sound of static began to fill the room.

"Ow!" she squeaked, nipping at her fingers, but she removed them as she noticed the noise coming from the moniter. "Um, Fear? We got a signal here!" she called urgently.

Fear came dashing over in the oddest way Riley had ever seen want one move. He was like a scorpion that Haas just discovered it's stinging tail was on fire. "A signal?" he cried half excitedly, half nervously as he grinded to a halt at the control panel, eyes darting everywhere to find any hope of a screen or at least some sound. All the noises of the outside world seemed to have completely failed since the crash. The only thing worse than not seeing or hearing anything was not knowing anything, and Fear meant it when he told Joy he hadn't enough paper bags for such a situation.

"Uh, right. Let's have a look here-did you reset the panel's power?" he asked Disgust who stood there impatiently with her arms folded as he fiddled with loose wires and controls.

"Yes."

"Did you try finding the switch in case it had reset itself?"

"Yeess " said Disgust gritting her teeth.

"Did you try looking under the circuit-"

"I tried all of those you nitwit!" Fear jumped back a step. Riley decided rather awkwardly that this would be a chance to redeem herself for scaring the life out of him. That is, if these creations really were alive...

"Excuse me?"

"AAAAAHHHHH,,, DON'T HURT ME!" shrieked Fear leaping back further, his hands covering his face. Riley paused too, afraid she had worsened his opinions of her. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to-!"

"Oh! It's j-just you Riley!"

"Who did you think it was, the boogeyman?" muttered Anger. Fear ignored him. "It's okay! Don't worry about it!" he reassured her, even whilst rubbing both his hands and shaking.

"I didn't mean to startle you earlier!" the girl apologised, "I just thought-"

Fear laughed, his shaking disappearing and began patting the dust off his sweater. "Oh, no! It's fine, it wasn't your fault. Believe me, I'm actually kind of amazed as to how you managed to infiltrate our headquarters! I just tend to be a little bit jumpy most of the time!"

Riley relaxed, "Well, there's no real need to ask who you are I guess," she said, "you're Fear, yes?"

Fear gulped, but managed to return the smile she flashed him. "That's correct, yeah!"

"So, you control when I'm scared huh?"

"Well," chuckled Fear, "It's a little more complicated than that. Not to get too technical, but I don't just work in fear. I also work through anxiety, panic, worry, denial-"

"Quit boring her Fear!" Disgust piped up, "the poor girl doesn't want to hear of what "wonderful," things you've learnt about her own head, it's not like she doesn't already know!" Then turning to Riley she added, "don't listen to him, honey he's just been doing this job far too long. As a matter of fact, we all have," she said under her breath.

"Oh no, it's okay, I don't mind. I'd kind of like to hear it actually."

"Well, you've come to the right place!" said Fear happily, "come on, I'll show you."

She stood there watching intently as he pulled some more cables out of a tube from inside the panel, occasionally guffawing whenever he grabbed a short, delicate wire and accidentally electrocuted himself.

"YOWCH!" he screamed falling to the floor. Immediately, Riley rushed to his side. "Are you okay?" Fear was far from it, although he did manage to pick himself up. "Guess that was pretty _shocking_ , huh?" Riley giggled wetting her finger with saliva and using it to put out a candle-like flame that had appeared on the end of his antennae.

"Now, Joy may be the one who keeps you happy, and Disgust might help you to make difficult choices but I on the other hand ha be a super important job of keeping you safe."

"Really? Wow!" said Riley, "it must be a pretty tiresome job then?"

"Are you kidding? It's exhausting!" said Fear, putting a hand to his head, "I really don't know why you put yourself in danger so often."

"I don't put myself in danger-" she paused, "Do I?"

"Well, running through corridors, with all those turns, going skating on the ice with those razor sharp skates of yours, aren't really clever ideas are they?"

Riley's expression became somewhat embarrassed, "No I guess not. And I'm sorry."

"What for?" asked Fear, trying to start up the moniter again.

"Well, if you're supposed to watch over me, I've really put through hell lately," she sighed softly, "I should never have attempted that stupid stunt. It's all my fault your controls aren't working "

"Woah! Hey now!" said Joy rushing over and leaving Sadness cross legged with a manual in her hand and a hurt expression, "Riley! None of this is your fault!"Her voice became somber, "It's mine actually. I was the one who talked Fear out of steering clear of trying the ramp, I fought over the controls with him. I just thought we'd make it, but-I guess I...miscalculated."

Fear shook his head. "Uh-Uh! Nope, I will not have that Joy, I will not allow you to blame yourself for my own irresponsibility! It's my job to keep Riley safe, or at least it was, but it was all my fault, I swear!"

"I can vouch for that," said Anger dryly.

"No, Fear if I hadn't tried to go for an idiotic thrill seeking mindset, Riley wouldn't be in here, confused and terrified. It is all my fault."

"Joy-?"

"Sorry Fear," she said turning away from him, "I guess I'll just have to live with it from now on. I'm responsible for Riley's coma."

At this, Sadness snuck up behind Joy, startling her slightly holding a tissue.

"Huh? Oh, no thank you Sadness."

"They aren't for you, they're for me." replied Sadness.

"Oh. What are you so upset about?" asked Joy warily, knowing full well Sadness was almost always upset about everything.

"Because it's my fault too," she said kicking the floor and staring at her feet.

"Oh, Sadness-!"

"It's the truth, Joy! I'm awful! I should have made Riley feel sad, or struck something into her to make her stop. But I didn't, so it's my fault too."

"I think it's my fault too," said Disgust from the couch. Everyone turned to look at her, as she stared at the floor, eyes full of guilt. "I'm the one that stops Riley from making the wrong choice. I should have convinced her to ride in the other direction, made up some crap that her hair would get dirty or something. I didn't, so I take full responsibility too."

Everyone turned to look at Anger, who was shuffling across the room, head in his newspaper. He looked up like a child being caught stealing sweets as he realised every pair if eyes in the room was on him, including Riley's.

"What?" he asked, featuring to Fear, "he had the control panel!"

"Anger-"

Anger's gaze darted around uncomfortably before he finally admitted defeat. He dragged his newspaper across the linoleum of Riley's head, before placing it on the sofa and going to take Riley's hands in his. "I'm Sorry too, kid," he sighed, "if I had just made you feel the dread of your parents catching you doing the trick, something might have clicked. I'm just...I'm sorry."

Joy watched as Riley blinked and walked forwards towards the windows again. Everyone tensed waiting for the panic attack to come and for chairs to start flying again, but they didn't. Instead she just stood, and stared; staring at her own personality islands. She scanned her reflection, placing a palm on the glass, but never once looked into it. The only reflection she saw was in the folds of a hockey rink, a goofy face, a friend mural and an enormous stone sculpture of a family, depicting a mother a father and a little girl. She didn't need to think twice about who they were, only the fact that was sinking in that she may never see them again.

Joy was the one who approached her. Riley was glad of it, relieved when she saw another reflection in the glass, one with iridescent skin and sky blue hair. It was comforting, to know that where she was, _wherever_ she was, there were others. Maybe not her own kind, but carers all the same.

"Hey," the blue haired spirit getting closer. "What are you thinking?"

"I thought that was your job to tell me," sniffed Riley.

Joy chuckled quietly, "Emotions can't make you think, sweetie," she said, "they can only make you feel."

Riley stared into the black abyss below her islands, "Do you-think they'll be looking for me?" she asked after a while.

Joy stopped, a piece of her breaking inside. She didn't want to tell Riley the truth. As optimistic as she usually was, even she knew that there was no possible way her parents could reach her. Not where she was anyway."

"Yeah," said Joy at last, "I do."

The other emotions who now all thought it safe to step in, were guided by Sadness to keep a respectful distance from her. Riley, seeing more shapes and colors form on the glass, turned to see them all, looking at her worriedly and expectantly.

"Listen. All of you."

Joy looked up hopeful, "Yes Riley? Go on tell us, what is it? What's on your mind, apart from us of course!" Before she could cackle at her own joke again, Riley turned around whot e seriously. "Look, you guys have been really nice and hospitable and all, but I really need to get back."

"Back?" said Joy grin fading.

"Back where?" said Disgust.

"There is no back," said Anger.

"There's no anything!" chimed in Fear.

"There's nothing but a long empty trail of nothingness outside!" informed Sadness. "If you venture too far out there, you'll fall down, down, down, down into Memory Dump and won't be able to get out!"

"I have to find my parents!" said Riley, almost pleading with them, "look, you all seem like great people, and I would like nothing more than to spend time with you. But since I know for sure none of this is real, and I am definitely dreaming right now, I'll just walk out, close my eyes and count to ten and be back riding my bike, okay?!"

The emotions stared at her dumbfounded forv a second, before Joy's sudden laughter became contiguous.

"What's so funny?" Riley demanded.

"Y-Your Dreams!" said Joy in between giggles. "You aren't in a dream Riley!"

Riley scowled slightly, her brows furrowing.

"You can watch your dreams though," said Joy.

At this Riley's scowl became a look of surprise and glee. "You Can?!"

"Oh sure," said Anger, happens all the time.

"Speaking of which," said Fear "the mindworkers down at Dream Productions will still be working overtime!"

"Oh yeah! That's right!" clapped Disgust.

"Alright, who's up for a movie?" said Joy, her radiant enthusiasm shining through again.

All the emotions shared equal murmurs of excitement, even Sadness. "I hope it's a tragedy," she mused making her way to the couch.

Joy was about to join them, but noticed Riley who still seemed to be rooted to the spot in amazement, as if the very idea of a dream being watched on a large screen was just enough to captivate her.

"Coming Riley?" Joy called.

Riley tried her best to break out of her trance. "Yeah." she replied. "Coming..."


	8. In Which Riley Views her Dreams

Chapter 8:In Which Riley Views her Dreams

The emotions made their way to the sitting area, all huddling together on the lilac couch. Fear went to start up the control panel, turning the undercarriage out a little to find a button or lever or switch to pull. Joy was the most enthusiastic out of all of them, practically bounding over, sitting in between Disgust and Anger and shoving both of them in to catch her in a sandwich, much to their displeasure.

Riley had curiously followed, watching Fear with every step, who seemed half confident, half confused to what he was trying to do. She propped herself on the further end of the couch, watching as a fuming Anger and a scornful Disgust tried to avoid touching each other as Joy pulled both of them tighter together, their crimson and peppermint cheeks crushing her own. She felt the arm rest of her seat for no other reason in particular other than to really wake herself up, to feel the soft furry texture beneath her fingertips and remind herself of her surroundings. The sound of slippers on a squeaky floor prompted her to glance upwards. The little blue creature known as Sadness had sat herself beside the girl, her sweater stained wet with tears, dark circles under her blue eyes. She looked at Riley and gave a brief smile which returned to mellow in a mere second. Riley reached out momentarily and took her tiny blue hand. She didn't know why, but she felt this creature was one that needed constant comfort. Although the blue lump flinched considerably, but she didn't move it away.

"Are ya excited Riley?" beamed Joy, finally releasing her captors.

"I...guess." Riley shrugged back, "What exactly are we waiting for?"

"We're going to watch your dreams, silly!" Joy replied, reclining and nearly clocking her released prisoners in the face, "Every night one of us is on Dream Duty, we've seen all your greatest stories! The daring epics!"

"Boring," muttered Anger, "we usually just get a pants-off in public dream, those are always on repeat!"

"Well, yeah okay the reoccurring dreams can get a little...but anyway! The gorgeous romantics!"

"Cliche," Disgust huffed, "how many times have we got to watch Riley kiss her favourite singer?"

"Me personally though, I love The Adventures of Rainbow Unicorn," Joy continued, "You know I've met her, no big deal, but! When Sadness and I visited the one and only Dream Productions, we met her and spoke to her!"

"She ignored us," Sadness sighed.

"Sadness! She's a busy actress! Well, okay she didn't exactly talk back, it was mostly me that did all the talking, but still! Anyway, the dreams with her in them are my favourite, when did Part 1 come out again?"

"2002," Sadness offered, "When Riley was just born. Rainbow Unicorn was a lot nicer back then."

"Uh, so Dream Productions?" questioned Riley.

"Well, it's the studio to the deeper part of your mind, just outside subconscious. Most idolize it for creativity but others critcize it for it's corruption history and lack of diversity-"

"Oh, so like Universal Studios!"

"Yeah! Well, maybe Dream Productions are a little bit less successful and have a couple more complaints-"

"Which is perfectly justified!" interjected Anger, "I mean really! How many times have we got to see the same darn "we came to School in our PJs story?"

"Or have you fall off a cliff thousands of times," said Sadness, "it just gets sooooo tedious!"

"Well, okay aside from the slower years!" continued Joy, "It's a pretty great thing once you're on the set, which we were, not to brag! Sadness don't you remember we were in a dog costume?"

"Oh yeah," sniffed Sadness, "I was the tail."

"Aww, come on! You were a good tail!" laughed Joy, "Anyway, Riley while you're here, we thought you might like to see one of your many adventures on the big screen-if Fear can get it started up that is."

"Alllmost got it," came the voice of Fear as he pulled ba so yet another odd looking lever. "I think it just needs some power. Joy? Could you give me a hand?"

"Yeah sure! But, why are you so afraid of doing it yourself?"

"Joy if I pressed the panel now, Riley would be stuck watching one of her horrific nightmares," he quivered, "and goodness knows I'm done with the terrifying creatures she reads about on the Internet forums."

Joy placed a starfish hand on a panel, sounding a bell. Instantly, the entire panel was alight with gold. The controls began to vibrate and the screen came to life in a wave of static. Riley watched in amazement as all her emotions cheered as a picture began to flicker across the screen.

It was a baby, blonde hair in pigtails, wearing a rose pink frock and carrying around a brown teddy bear with black button eyes. As she walked, she found herself lost in the sky, thin air, the wind blowing her pigtails away and letting her hair fall to her cheeks. Rain poured from her eyes and her dress billowed behind her like a wounded flamingo.

"Do you know who she is?" Joy whispered to Riley.

Riley was sitting with her knees to her chest, her mouth and eyes open in a complete state of wonder.

"That-That's me!" she breathed, "I remember this dream! I do, I remember! I was so young!"

"Here's my favourite part!" gasped Joy pointing to the screen.

As the small child continued to cry, a glimmer from the corner of her vision drew her closer to a powder white cloud, etched with blue to where a shape had begun to form. It was equine, the mane clearly visible, front legs reared and hooves exposed. Then from beneath the soft sheet, emerged a beautiful snow white mare, a mane of scarlet, persimmon, saffron, emerald, cornflower blue and bright magenta. A horn poked from the rainbow strands, gleaming ivory and on her rump the embalm of two elfin creatures holding a butterfly on a flower.

"Rainbow Unicorn?" said Riley laughing in surprise.

"The one and only!" said Joy, also laughing.

"Wow..." Riley had very early memories of dreams in which she rode on horses, but a distinct night time vision showed her with a unicorn of true heart and soul, whose tail turned into a beam of light behind her, leaving a vapor trail. She had enjoyed these dreams, an escape from the every day toddler woes of play group and being force fed strange food mixtures; to a fantasy land where a queen ruled by a powerful king in a land of pixies and trolls.

On screen, the unicorn lowered her back, allowing Riley to mount her. The two then took off, through the air, which was now tinged orange from the glow of a sunset, flames of rainbow fire coming from her tail. Tinted titles appeared on the screen: Fairy Dream Adventure Part 1. The small child was shrieking delightedly and throwing her arms in the air, touching the pearl pink clouds with her tiny fingers. Each time her new friend galloped higher, she felt herself begin to soar as well, until she was floating in the air. When she faltered, Rainbow Unicorn guided her with her hooves through the atmosphere and away into the horizon. They preformed acrobatics, leaps, jumped fences made from clouds, stiles made from old airplane engines and hurdled giant brass gates with thousands of birds of paradise flying alongside them.

"This is gorgeous." Riley said, a genuine smile appearing for the first time on her face.

"I think so too!" remarked Joy, "I love it because of all the pretty colours and the imagery and symbolism...but mostly because you created it Riley."

"I did?!"

"Sure," said Anger, "all those buffoons down at Dream Production did was take notes from Imaginationland and develop it into a predictable script."

"Oh hush Anger!" laughed Joy, "It's a lovely story! It's better than some of the other rubbish they've made!"

"They make good and bad dreams," agreed Fear, "I usually just do a crossword while I wait for something interesting to happen."

"I like the old dreams," sighed Sadness, "now they're just all the same old boring stories and they aren't as long and happy...just recycled dreams from a machine."

"Well, sometimes, recycled dreams can be a good thing," shrugged Joy, "it allows for a new perspective on one's thoughts and they can look back and see where they went wrong, how to do better next time-"

"You guys shut up!" hushed Disgust, "they're about to enter the castle!"

As Baby Riley and her noble steed trotted through a forest of stars, they came to a marble archway with words in a strange languages engraved.

Rainbow Unicorn brayed and a voice sounded through a large speaker.

" _Miss Rainbow Unicorn! You have returned from your travels! Lower the Drawbridge!"_

A bridge came down for the two to cross, leading into a spectacular courtyard, with every flower imaginable, brightly coloured dyes, baskets, jewels and herbs hanging from stalls, and a grand feast at a large buffet table. To Riley that wasn't the surprising part-there were small people having a festival, dressed in festive clothes and dancing in rings. They were faeries! Real life faeries, or as real as a dream would allow them to be. Glistening transparent wings protruded from their backs and each wore a wreath of thorns and leaves around their heads. They all turned however when they saw the steed. The musicians on the band stand stopped playing their instruments.

From the far end of the courtyard, was a a pedestal with two large thrones. In one a King dressed in clothes and a Queen dressed in silver.

" _Ah, Rainbow Unicorn, you have returned! I trust your journey was successful?"_

 _The horse stamped her foot, clopping and dragging her shoe across the earth._

 _"What?! You have not found the crown of Easter?"_

 _Clip clip._

 _"But you have found a guest?"_

 _Clip clip._

 _"Her name is Riley?"_

 _Clip clip, drag clip clop._

 _"Stop repeating everything I say...oh. Apologies Miss Unicorn."_

"Ugh," groaned Anger, "Cheap joke. Who writes this stuff?"

"Ssh!"snapped Disgust.

" _Well, since we have our little guest,"_ the king knelt to Riley's level, " _Riley, how would you like to be a fairy for the day?"_

Riley clapped her hands. " _Wonderful! My daughters shall see to your every need!"_

The emotions and the girl from the dream grown older watched as seven faerie women in dusky pastel skirts rushed from a dance ring and carried their tiny visitor to the palace. In a turret they dressed her in many fine silk and blew dust in her face to give her the ability of temporary flight.

Riley watched as her younger self flew with the princesses from the tower down into the courtyard, where they danced and played and preformed magic. The King of the Faeries called for his servers to give "the new princess," a strawberry milkshake, to which a small troll dressed in butler attire came holding a silver fish with milkshakes of every flavour for the royal daughters.

Riley wanted to reach out and touch the food and drink displayed in front of her. She knew it was all an illusion, but she had never felt so famished in her life. Not that it would make any difference in her state whether she ate or not.

" _Now my dearest Riley, you must return to your human parents,"_ said the King.

" _However_ ," said the Queen of the Faeries, " _you may come back and visit the Fairy Kingdom whenever you like," She took what looked like a medal from around her neck, "this crest will guarantee your entry. Rainbow Unicorn shall escort you home. Farewell Riley of Minnesota, we hope to see you again soon."_

As the faeries waved goodbye, Riley laughed, as her unicorn galloped higher leaving more multi coloured trails of light, as the credits began to roll on screen.

"Thank the heavens that's done," grimaced Anger.

"Aww, but don't you like girly girly princess adventures?" teased Joy.

"No!" said Anger, not exactly blowing his top but firm enough to get her to stop.

"Well, I for one enjoyed it," announced Fear.

"Of course you would," said Disgust, "any dream that doesn't involve a giant scary monster is right up your route."

"Say what you want!" sighed Anger leaning back, "I just prefer Part 4 where she fights an evil sorceress. Now that's an adventure!"

"Oh, what about Part 2 where they throw a huge party for her?" exclaimed Joy.

"Nah. I like Part 5," said Sadness. "Where she is sad because she can't cross the lemonade river, so she cries and her tears become a bridge and that's how she gets to the other side."

"I love Part 4 the best," declared Disgust, "in that one, she sews clothes for the ugly trolls with no sense of fashion, and succeeded! And I'm telling ya, those poor things were beyond the point of help!"

"What did you think Riley?" said Joy, dropping from the couch to the floor and landing on her elbows.

"It certainly was a little...short," Riley admitted, "I remember my fairy dreams being a lot longer."

"Well, that's because the guys down at Dream Productions-did I mention I've been down there-?"

"YES!" came the irritated voice of Anger. "Several times actually!"

"Well, there are moniters that tell whenever you're awake or asleep, and throughout that time, their preparing for broadcast. So, they have clocks to time each dream so that it goes by within the five to seven minute mark, so when they slow it down through the moniters, it goes by twice as slow!" Joy explained proudly, "You only feel it's going on for longer."

"Wow! That's incredible! But what if I have a nightmare."

"Easy! Fear wakes you up if things get too intense!"

"You can thank me later!" said Fear, adjusting his antennae.

"Can we go to sleep now?" moaned Sadness.

"Not yet," pleaded Joy, "let's see what else is on!"

"Else?"

"Hmm? Oh, well Riley, when you're in full sleep mode, the programmes down at the studio are on full time! Depending on how many hours you're napping that is. But up here in headquarters we get all the great channels! If they're working right now that is," she added, toying with the remote. a button, another picture came into view. Graphics of blocks and words and video clips all swimming inside a logo of Riley's head.

"Oh! The news is on!" said Joy the remote flying from her hand.

"I have...news?"

"Course ya do! And it's all about you!"

" _Welcome to RHNews on Channel 100."_ Sitting at a high table were two mind workers, one a round and blue male, the other a female, tall and purple.

" _Good Evening, I'm Hip O'Kampus."_

 _"And I'm Cera Tonin."_

 _"Our top story tonight, Riley Anderson, beloved 12 year old writing, history, math and sports prodigy has been thrown into a coma, from which she may never wake. Viewers are warned_ some of the images in this report may be upsetting."

The anchors cut to a hospital with sickly looking children being wheeled around on stretchers, wearing masks and attached to drips. Men and women in turquoise gowns were yelling orders frantically and pushing them through dozens of doors. A woman in a striped top and a man in a brown jacket were the focus. The woman, her head in her hands; the man rubbing her back and resting his head softly on her shoulder.

Riley's eyes grew wider, "Mom? Dad?!"

Joy stood as still as a statue, I'm moving, unblinking. Anger looked up in shock from his paper, Disgust stopped checking her nails and paid attention too. Fear let out an audible gasp and even Sadness sat up.

" _The mother and father of Riley are distraught and have so far been unable to speak to other family members about the incident, although Mr Anderson has in a statement said that he will start to make phone calls to Riley's relatives back in Minnesota to deliver the tragic news_." He turned to his female co host. _"Cera, your thoughts?_ "

 _"I think it's a hard thing to take in. We do have a Mr Cyril Bellum, an expert in lost memories and the unconscious minds and a Professor at Storm University. Dr Bellum, what are your thoughts on this issue?"_

" _Uh, well Cera I think this is a very serious matter, and should be treated with great care and a large amount of sympathy. Uh, my thoughts are with our girl's family first of all. But I think really think that we should do all we can to wake her up, and follow the manuals, revise our textbooks, just try anything to awaken her senses."_

" _Dr Bellum, if I may ask, and touch wood here, if Riley were not to wake, what would the consequences be?"_

" _Dire Hip, very serious. For one, she may never be able to play hockey again..."_

"Grr! Is that all he's worried about?! Her hockey career!" yelled Anger. "What happened to the days when people just did their job and anchored the news professionally? Instead of getting an opinion from some whacked out scientist."

"He's been doing a lot more to help then you have in the time you've been here," said Disgust, "when was the last time you benefited Riley in any way?"

"Oh, what like deciding on a good dress for the Junior Dance is going to help her survive out there?"

"Hey! She is going to need a proper outfit the day she finds her soulmate!"

"Whatever! I help her release stress! All he's done is flick through a bunch of useless books!"

 _"I think we need to use what we have learnt from the manuals and take this time to figure out every possible way to bring her out of this."_

Joy's ears pricked up. "Turn it up! He said something!"

" _right now the only hope is the-"_

All heads turned as the moniter became black. Anger held the remote, an indignant look on his face.

"That's enough of that," he muttered flatly.

"Anger!" said a horrified Joy, "Turn it back on!"

"The poor kid doesn't want to listen to what these morons have to say about her. The news is always dismal and dim Joy, even you know that!"

"He's right." agreed Sadness.

"I don't care! Anger, hand me the remote!"

Anger held it higher, "Joy, I cannot allow you to-"

"ANGER! Give me the remote, NOW!" she ordered again.

Anger's look didn't change, but his body language did. It wasn't like Joy to get mad, but when she did, she could be very scary!

Anger sighed glancing at Riley who's gaze locked with his own. "Please...?"

Reluctantly, Anger finally gave up the battle, a process which would usually take up to an hour at most. "Fine! But don't blame me when the kid can't sleep tonight!"

"-and now on with the cell forecast with Mike Flu-"

"Oh, _Anger_! We missed it!" whined Joy. "That's not fair, we could have heard-"

"Why are you so worked up about it?" he shrugged.

"It could've been important information! Now we'll never hear whether it could help Riley or not!"

"It's okay, really!"

"But Riley," Joy replied, "he turned it over at the exact point that the doctor was, well about to make his own point!"

"It's okay, I'm fine, No worries. I feel better now, after all the weirdness earlier." She yawned. "I'm just a little sleepy, is all."

Fear glanced at the large white clock in the corner. Before the crash it had run on energy supplied from Riley during the day. It would depend on her own clocks, how late she stayed up, and how tired she was. If she slept into the afternoon, the clock would read early. If she was awake past midnight, the clock would be nowhere near the twelve mark. At the moment the clock read quarter past one. Fear guessed it had now been nearly ten hours since shutdown. In the real world, Riley's world it was probably a lot later.

"Well," he said, "I'm getting a little pooped too. I propose we all go to bed and deal with it in the morning."

"Yeah," said Sadness, "sleep sounds nice."

"Same here! I need my beauty sleep, it's not easy to look this gorgeous you know."

"I might need some rest too-save up on fuel to burn off raging tomorrow."

"Right, sleep-Woah! Woah, woah woah!" Joy stopped. "Aren't you guys forgetting someone?"

The four emotions were at the foot of the ramp before the noticed Riley, still sitting in a ball on the floor.

"That's right!" said Fear, "We never thought where Riley's going to sleep!"

"It wasn't as if we knew she was coming," said Anger glaring at him.

"At least she's already in her PJs!" laughed Joy, "Mom and Dad must have dressed us in them after the operation."

"Let's let her choose!" said Disgust rushing over to the girl. "Bunk with me, Riley! I'll do your hair for you, we could make great roommates!"

"You don't want to go with her kid, she'll never shut up! My room is much quieter."

"You can come in with me, I don't mind-well. I have to warn you I do have frequent night terrors."

Riley stared from one eager face to the next. "Uh..."

"Woah guys, don't overwhelm her! I would volunteer my room, but it has far too many memories crammed into it at the moment, she'll never be able to sleep. Besides I forgot I still have dream duty. Since Riley's in a constant sleep for the time being we may have to take double shifts. Uh, Sadness?"

The blue lump looked up from hiding behind the other three emotions. "Y-Yeah?"

"Would you be willing to let Riley share your room?"

Sadness faltered. "Uh, I don't know Joy, my room's really messy too. But I don't mind, I mean I-"

"Great! Riley, you're with Sadness!"

"Okay."

"Sadness, have you still got your beanbag bed?"

"Yes?"

"Well, Riley how do you feel about sleeping in it?"

Riley beamed. "Sure. I love beanbags, it shouldn't be a problem. I'll sleep anywhere I'm like a cat. I slept in a cardboard box once."

Joy giggled. "I remember that! You were so little and Mom draped a blanket over you, I remember I watched everything from the screen and was on break while you napped-"

"Less talkie, more sleepy!" said Anger gruffly.

"Alright, Alright. I'll just sit here," said Joy, tiptoeing back to the chair at the panel, and planting herself down, yellow dress opening at the edges like a flower.

"You sure you'll be alright?" Fear asked earning more stares from Disgust and Anger.

"You all go on up," she said stretching, "I'll get plenty of rest if it's a dream I've already seen."

"Well, alright."

As the other emotions headed up the ramp, each standing close to Riley to make sure she didn't trip, Riley stared back over her shoulder at the golden girl sitting on her own, quite possibly for the whole night. Sadness who had been holding onto her hand turned and stopped too.

"Goodnight Joy."

Joy sat up, " _Hm_? Oh! Goodnight Riley!"

* * *

As Riley was lead into a dimly lit room, with navy walls and curtains pulled shut on the windows that overlooked the dump, the purple rug littered with crumpled tissues and old books and a quaint bed with ultramarine sheets, she couldn't help but feel strangely safe, excited even. Despite the ever present ache within her chest. Sadness was a quiet soul, never really asking many questions, though Riley was relieved, not wanting to share a long conversation after the day she had experienced.

"My beanbag bed is here," she said softly, pointing to a dark maroon pile under a mountain of sweaters.

"Oh. Okay." Riley cleared them away and lay back into it, instantly enjoying the feel of being sucked into the floor in a fine of mild quicksand. Sadness threw herself onto her own bed and instantly began weeping into the pillows. Riley sat up. "Are you okay?! What's the matter?!"

Hearing the girl's concern she looked up, her glasses fogged with the condensation of her own pity. She offered a calm smile. "It's alright. Crying just helps me to cope and slow down and obsess over the weight of life's problems."

Riley nodded and turned over, letting the light from the headlamps lit by late night mind workers filter through her retinas. If she still had them. She knew there was no point in trying to fight back with denial anymore. She was a ghost of a girl, a figment inside her own mind.

It was a good job she had decided to sleep next to Sadness. For she would understand if she were to see the warm tears trickling down the young girl's nose.

 **This was s very long chapter and very hard to write. Sorry it took so long, have been tangled up lately. Please Review and follow if you liked. Thank you!**


	9. In Which Guilt Settles

Chapter 9: In Which Guilt Settles

 _"Oh John, what we ever do to deserve this?"_

The long tearful sobs of Mrs Anderson could be heard by the nurses in the other wing. They kept their distance and watched from the bedsides of the elderly patients, with looks of empathy. A black nurse in a blue gown and white plastic sanitary gloves stared the longest, being the oldest of her colleagues and having two small children of her own. It was always worse when it was a child, she had told her much younger fair haired assistant, it was hard for anyone having to care for a disabled relative, but the patients in her wing were as close to death, even before they developed multiple sclerosis, though they had lived happy lives and if not always happy, certainly fruitful; through wars, civil rights movements and even the moon landing they had seen many spectacular sights in their time. For a child to die, or to be stricken with such a painful ailment or immobilization, without ever experiencing the things life had to offer them, to a parent, was the worst pain of all.

In a corridor, Mrs Anderson stood hugging the midsection of her yellow and navy striped sweatshirt. Her eyes had become brown pebbles and her cheeks were pale and drawn in from the shock of grief. Her stomach had tightened, dangerous for the delicate lining inside of her. It felt as if someone had thrown a powerful blow, to which she was yet to recover, as she breathed slowly in and out, a heavy and painful stitch starting to form.

"I can't do it anymore John," she wept to her husband, facing the glass, "I wanted to bring a new baby into the world but-not like this!"

"It'll be alright, I promise."

"How? How can you promise such a thing? When our first born baby is lying hooked up to a machine! Did you not see them installing that dreadful thing after we left the room? They did it in front of us!"

"I know, but-"

"They know something we don't John! Why else would they be looking so calm. They act as if it's nothing, they put her on that horrible loud thing because they know she might not even last the night!"

"Now don't say that!" her husband said firmly putting both arms around her, "That's not going to happen, you hear? Anyway, the doctor said her condition has stabilized for now. We won't know anything until the morning."

"It might be too late by then!" his wife wailed, "It's not fair! If I had just picked her up from school-"

"Do not blame yourself! If it's anyone's fault it's mine! Why did I ever buy her that stupid bike!"

Mrs Anderson turned away, back towards her reflection in the window. She blinked away more tears, trying to compose herself.

"Do you think she'll ever get to meet her brother or sister?"

"Which one?" he asked turning towards her expression serious.

She gave him a stern look. "What kind of a question is that to ask? You know how I feel about that! I mean her real sibling. My bundle. I wanted to surprise her when I was a little more due, but-" she exhaled. "Now. It's like I'm having one child, and...losing another..."

She melted into his arms again, as he patted her hair. As he did so, he stared straight into his own reflection, and realised that his partner's words had a streak of truth to them. " _Why the hell did I forget to close the garage door...?"_


	10. In Which an Old Friend is Resurrected

Chapter 10: In Which an Old Friend is Resurrected.

As the mind's "sky" began to glow bright with the sense of day, and the workers were gathering outside their establishment murmuring questions, the light from the softly glowing cells spilled through the windows of headquarters.

They are funny things, cells. They exist with the sole purpose of keeping our mind and body flowing like a river. If a single drop of polluted muck enters, a brain cell could die and cause a terrible chain reaction. The only comfort was that cells were always dying and regenerating, as is the natural order of life itself. They move through the mind's sky like jellyfish in the deepest ocean, translucent and swift, creating an array of colours with their bioluminescent light.

These cells, next to the memory orbs were the most vital thing to Riley's head. They were there to hold knowledge as well as keep blood pressure steady. Ever since her accident, they had been acting strange however. They looked paler than before, a few of them at least, we're starting to curl up and fade at the edges.

Riley opened one eye only to be greeted with the feeling that she hadn't slept at didn't feel tired, but she wasn't exactly well rested either.

It took her a moment to realise that none of it had been a dream, even the parts where there had been dreams. She could smell the salty fragrance of tears, the worn out woolen fabric she had buried underneath the night before. As she moved, she heard the sound of sand inside the beanbag bed and thought of Sadness. Poor Sadness; having to share her room with an intruder. She had gone now, her blue bedsheets pulled right up. Tumbling out from under the pile of turtlenecks, Riley willed herself to walk, her legs shaking and looking half-frozen. The only thing that kept her going was the fact that there were people she knew do7wnstairs-well, people who knew her.

She stumbled down the ramp, ignoring her nausea and saw the faces of Joy, Anger, Sadness, Fear and Disgust, all sat in a small circle around a shelf full of white folders, some had been taken out and thrown to the floor whilst others were still being poured over. Each were labeled with a subject on how to control the happenings of Riley's helad. She noticed "Long Term Memory Retrieval," "The Complete Guide to Thoughts" and "So You're Dealing with Chemical Imbalance?"

Joy was sitting cross legged with Sadness who looked so absorbed in every word she read, unlike her friend who was falling asleep. Disgust lay on her stomach, kicking her olive legs leafing through pages, whilst Fear studied each book carefully, avoiding the fright of a sharp paper cut. Anger however was reading furthest away from the group, reading a manual that was singed slightly at the corners of the spine, evidence of a previous rage.

"Hello." said Riley, somewhat weakly.

Sadness saw her and nudged Joy who had been snoring with her elbow on the spine of her book. When she was shaken slightly she let out a loud snort and sat bolt upright, "Huh?! Wha-?! Oh, Good Morning Riley. If it is morning, Fear is it morning?"

"Not sure Joy, but judging everything's still out of order including the clock, I can't imagine it'd be that early."

"Well, Good Day then! Did you sleep well?"

"Fine thanks," Riley replied, "like a log actually." This was the truth. Sadness's jumpers and blankets wore the nicest of aroma, like sea salt and old dusty volumes. She joined her emotions on the floor, looking around at all the dark grey orbs sitting on the shelves above them.

"Why are these memories not glowing like the rest?" she asked. Joy answered her grabbing yet another book.

"Everything's still shut down. Has been since last night everything has. It was a miracle Fear managed to get the moniter working. The reason those memories are still glowing is because they're core. Core memories can't be forgotten easily."

"You're Welcome," Sadness sighed dully behind her copy of "Are you a Memory Expert?"

"So, these are my main memories then?" said Riley staring at them.

"Well, they're at your brain's core so yes," said Joy.

"Sorry," Riley laughed, "I just have so many more questions-"

"Well, hold on no longer! Whadaya want to ask?"

Riley thought; What did she want to ask? Aside from the fact that she was still convinced she had just hit her head too hard on the windshield and this was all a hallucinogenic fantasy.

"Well...I'd still kinda like to know what purpose you all have, up here I mean."

Joy shrugged, "What else is there to say really? We help you make decisions."

"Yeah, like Spots and Stripes together, No Way!" said Disgust.

"Someone doesn't give you a discount after you order the wrong pizza-that someone's gonna pay!" snarled Anger.

"Or not going for a sleep...I mean a walk in the woods..." murmured Fear his head drooping on his manual.

"Wake up you!" Disgust said nudging him, "You are not giving me more of your drool to clean up!"

"Sorry," he mumbled, groggily placing the book back on the shelf.

Riley stared at the mountains of manuals piled up in the middle of the circle. "Looks like you've all been...pretty busy,"

"Since last night," Joy replied, "we all woke up, thinking about what the best way to help you would be!"

"You woke us up!" Anger corrected her.

"Anyway, we haven't really had a lot of luck yet, but don't worry we're still working on it, right Fear? Fear? Fear!"

Fear had gotten up to pour himself a mug of coffee. He was now emptying the contents of his white cup onto the floor.

"Woah, Woah! Fear, you're missing your mouth!" giggled Joy, opening his jaw and pouring the coffee into it. Instantly the violet emotion lit up and his bow tie spun around crazily. "I'm WIDE AWAKE! Thank you Joy!" he said saluting her.

"Alright people! Books Down!" Joy ordered briskly clapping her hands, "Now tell me what you've learnt"

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Joy, there's seriously like nothing in these dumb old books!"

"Yeah all I found were *gulp* ways to get rid of nightmares!"

"Oh! I'm too sad to read anymore!"

Joy exhaled, "You Guys, we spent hours looking at these last night! Please try and think!"

"Um...well I've got something..."

"You do? Sadness that's great!" she said lighting up, Whatcha find?"

"It says here," began Sadness holding up the book "that Riley has got to wake herself up by scaring herself...umm, no wait that's not right..." she adjusted her glasses.

"Agh, this is pointless! I'm throwin' in the towel!" said Anger, thrusting his book to one side and storming off.

"And let Riley down? Some help you are!" Disgust called after him.

"What exactly is it you're looking for?" asked Riley.

"Answers," said Disgust simply, them raising her voice in Anger's direction, she added "to questions like "Why are SOME people are total morons around here?!"

"Disgust, can't this wait until we know what we're doing before we start arguing?" pleaded Fear, "It's clear Riley is looking for the same thing we are, after all, no one can know everything!"

Joy stopped. "Everything? Everything! Of course! Disgust! Pull the secret lever and bring me Volume 33."

"You want me to touch that dusty old thing?"

"Pleeeeeaasse?" she said with a wide grin.

Disgust rolled her eyes and groaned. "Fine!"

Riley watched as Disgust pushed aside brown covered book until a small black joystick was visible. Turning her head with an emerald swish as if to avoid a horrid smell, she yanked down on it. Instantly, the rows of books dispelled and revealed a tiny compartment hidden in the wall. Petite green fingers typed a code and the safe opened in a cloud of dust, leaving it's finder spluttering.

"Eww! Eww, ugh blegh! It went in my mouth!"

Letting her worker bee get some hair, Joy stepped forward and picked out the contents tenderly. Riley saw that it was a tattered, musty old book, with the letters on the spine close to faded. Riley turned her nose up a little at the stains and tears but Joy looked at it as though it were the rarest treasure in the world.

"I haven't seen this in forever!" she said delightedly blowing the remaining dust off the cover.

"Joy!" whined Disgust, "don't get more dust in the air! I'm still getting rid of the taste!"

"Isn't that just the taste of your complaining?" muttered Anger, arms crossed.

"What...was that?"

Knowing he may have made a grave mistake he coughed into his fist awkwardly, before gruffly responding "Nothing."

Joy presented the book to Riley happily, "Riley, do you know what this is?"

The girl lifted one of the pages, crisp and cracking under her touch, "A...journal?"

"Kind of! Good guess! It's an Encyclopedia, of your life!" she opened the spine and found a pair of white gloves taped to the inside. Joy slipped them on and began to flick through the pages. "It's pretty beat now, the older you get the older this gets, just think about how it will look when you turn to 50!" "If..." sighed Sadness, but her comment seemed to go ignored by Joy, who was busy pulling making out the texts on the first pages. "A-Ha! The introduction!

"After the birth of a child, one must be prepared for ups and downs. One must watch them with a guided eye and use emotional abilities to help him/her sustain a healthy lifestyle. Failure to do so will result in mood swings, disorders and unwanted behavioural problems."

"I'll show you unwanted behaviour problems if you don't skip to what we're looking for!"

"Easy Anger! Just let me find it! Now, where was it, I knew I bookmarked it in some way..."

"Page 12: When a Problem Arises."

"Oh, uh thanks Sadness! Yeah, here it is!

"During your stay with your personamin..."

"Huh?"

"Oh, it's what the book refers to non-emotions. "you will find that during their lifespan you shall become attached to them in personality, flaws, good deeds and faults. It is however important to note that during your long stay with them that complications will arise." Joy scanned the pages with a bright finger. "Hmm. It says here that-Oh."

"What is it Joy?" asked Fear nervously.

"Ummm..." Not wishing to alarm him but at the same time not wishing to keep Riley in the dark any longer she said, "Now Fear. I don't want you to panic or anything!" The purple nerve began to shake, "But I need to read out here what it says under "Worst Case Scenarios." Is that okay? Fear. Fear?"

The other emotions turned to the sofa where a grey trousered rear was sticking out between the cushions and a whimpering noise could be heard.

"So much for trying not to panic," scoffed Disgust.

"Read it out Joy," said Sadness looking up at her with almost pleading eyes from behind her spectacles.

Joy cleared her throat and read out:

"Worst Case Scenarios and how to Deal with Them.

 _1\. Cancer._

 _Cancer is an illness that many personamins may suffer from in their lifetime. There are different types, including blood, bone, stomach, bowel, breast, cervical, esophageal...tes-tic-u-lar..."_

She stopped. Looking up at the quartet of emotions and her own personamin who stood there incredulous at how one problem could come on so many forms. Joy cleared her throat as the flickers on Anger's head indicated he was growing impatient again.

"Uhh...Problem 2: _Dealing with Disorders._

 _Disorders come in many overwhelming ways but examples include OCD, Bipolar, Depression, Anorexia, Bullemia, Aspergers..."_

"I don't wanna hear any more!" wailed Fear covering his nearly non existent ears.

"I'd like to!" Sadness whispered.

"Don't pay any attention, Riley!" Disgust told her, "these books are so outdated!"

"Yeah Riley, it's all just-!" Joy began, but was stopped as she scrolled down, "Oh."

"What? What is it?!" quivered Fear.

Joy shrugged smiling. "It's okay Fear, I was just looking for number 10 and I thought for a minute there were more problems to come-!" As she spoke she lifted the other page and a long list fell to her feet. "-Oh. I was wrong, it appears." She tried to keep calm gathering up the list, confusion written on her glowing face. Fear on the other hand was sprinting around the room screaming his head off.

"Is there anything in that book that tells us how to actually help Riley?" Anger grumbled.

"Preferably anything with no disease?" offered Disgust.

"Is there anything with with no solution?" asked Sadness dismally.

"Uhh, just give me sec," Joy gathered up the notes and continued reading. "OH! Here! Comas. It tells you a whole bunch of stuff down here!"

The rest of the emotions cheered, a chorus of "Finally!" "Great!" "Oh good!"

Fear who had stopped yelling had slowed down and was now panicking under the couch.

"Fear, come out of there," Joy coaxed but the purple nerve continued to rock back and forth whining like a puppy.

"He's impossible, Joy" sighed Disgust, tossing her bangs aside "you'd need a hot poker to get him out of there."

At this Fear crawled further under the couch. "I didn't say she was going to!" Disgust yelled in his direction. She rolled her eyes and turned to her yellow clad co worker, "Come on, read it already!"

Joy cleared her throat; "According to the manual on Section A113 Paragraph 6 line 278, once in a coma the personamin is inconsolable, thus your headquarters will be either temporarily or permanently shut down," she cringed at this but tried not to let Disgust, Anger, Sadness and especially Riley see her. Poor Riley. She was just standing there on the cold floor in her bare feet, the edges of her star pyjama bottoms touching the floor as she kicked an invisible ball. "However, some comas do not last forever. It is important to note that during this struggle you and your fellow emotions must pull together and not lose hope. Instead, work on recalling every memory you can, to stimulate your personamin's senses. It has been known that a certain voice, animal, song or sound can jolt a person awake. If help is needed, take the glass elevator down to Midbrain Headquarters and dial the nerve connectors to send up secretions of noredrelin via the nerve lines.

Well that's it then!" she concluded closing the manual, "We need to make Riley remember a time when her senses were new and active!"

"Are you sure about this?" inquired Sadness, "I mean, we've never been in this situation before, I think Fear and I should be control panel buddies again."

"No!" Joy said, firm at first but then gentler, before laughing nervously, "No, Sadness remember the last time you and Fear worked at the control panel?"

"But the front door opened while we were asleep and Fear woke up when I was on dream duty, if a burglar had come and taken us, Mom and Dad would have been sooooo saaaad."

Fear finally emerged from his face of panic, "I can vouch with that!" he announced, "that noise could have been a thousand things," he counted them off on his stringy fingers, "a bear, rabid dog, monster, giant rat, huge spider, evil -ghost -from- that -video- game -we -played, a burglar, a thief, Freddy Krueger, a wide mouth...see that's a thousand!" he held up ten.

"It was the wind," said Anger bluntly.

"So?! It could have been a lot worse!"

"Uh, Excuse me?"

The emotions turned to Riley who stood patiently behind them, her eyes hopeful, "Does that mean that...I can see my parents again?"

She watched as the emotions looked to Joy, who stepped forward her own expression uncertain. "Oh, Sweetie we don't know that yet...But don't worry! I promise we are going to get you back to Mom and Dad we're just running low on fuel at the moment."

"What kind of Fuel does it run on?" Riley asked.

Immediately Joy lit up, a white light emanating from her glowing particles, "I'm So Glad you Asked!" she danced like a butterfly as she lead her girl gently by the arm, carrying her swiftly across the room towards the windows overlooking the stretch of the Memory Dump. Attached to Headquarters tower was a what looked like a small steel engine that was puffing out clouds of pink dust. Riley saw two creatures tipping a dark green bucket full of what appeared to be live stars in into a tube that connected to it. The creatures both wore blue caps and white ties, one was large and purple the other a sky blue. They reminded Riley of gumdrops.

"See that tank?" said Joy stabbing a finger on the glass.

"Uh huh."

"That's your brain power. It's what makes you do all the cool stuff your good at. Like, how you work in school, your creativity and just about every arts and crafts project you've ever done!"

"Wow," Riley breathed creating condensation on the clear glassy surface. The mind workers outside began noticed their bucket was beginning to stop producing it's contents. The larger one tipped it upside down, but only tiny flecks of light fell at his feet. "What's wrong?"

"Oh no!" Joy groaned. It's empty!"

"Don't all things eventually run out?" Riley asked puzzled.

"Well yeah they do, but in the outside. A tumbler can run out of water and your Pez dispenser can run out of candy but in here you as a living breathing person have unlimited brain power."

"So what happens when I runs out of brain power?" Riley asked cautiously.

Joy frowned, "Hmm. We uh- haven't really figured that out yet either. There are a lot of things we haven't figured out."

Riley stood unblinking and frozen staring at the floor, entwineing and unwinding her fingers over and over. Joy felt the girl begin to shiver and immediately put a warm palm on her shoulder. "But we will! Don't worry. I promise!"

Promise. It was something Joy had said what seemed like a long time ago. It haunted her so much she often lay awake thinking about it. She wondered what difference it would have made whether Riley remembered or not, though she felt she would never know as Riley had been so busy lately she hadn't had the time to help her remember. The good times, the fin times. When Riley could color the walls without being reprimanded and where an old cardboard box was a pirate ship.

The one she promised now was not around to see his little girl all grown up.

Yet...

"What's wrong?" Riley noticed Joy was edging away from the window a faraway look on her face.

"Uh-" she stopped and a wide grin appeared on her face, along with a look of urgency and determination. "Wait right there! Okay, don't go anywhere! I'll be right back!"

"Ohh...kay?"

Joy dashed up the stairs like a bolt of lightening, scattering her particles and leaving Riley in the company of the other emotions.

"Where's Joy going?" asked Fear shifting from foot to foot worriedly.

"Who cares?" sighed Anger, at least now the kid will have some peace.

Riley continued to stare out of the window, taking in the view of her own psyche. Her eyes fell upon the islands of personality which wobbled dangerously on their strings of light.

Feeling a tug at her pajama sleeve she looked down to see a pair of dull blue eyes looking back up at her. Sadness was blinking curiously behind her glasses wanting Riley's full attention even if she had nothing to say.

"My friend says she loves you," she said at last.

Riley smiled briefly and nodded, knowing exactly who she was referring to, "I like her too. She's nice"

"Joy? Nice?" came a voice from behind her. Disgust stood shaking her head and tutting. "Honey, the girl's a Saint! She adores you. We all do really," she added flicking her green hair, "We just don't bounce it around as much as she does."

"There's a fine line between being nice all he time and being downright annoying," remarked Anger, "Joy is both."

"Oh, and what? Like you have been nice to anyone in your life?"

Anger grimaced, "Watch it Toots."

"Ooh, another baby name- how hurtful," mocked Disgust, "Anyway Riley, how about we do something fun while Joy's gone?"

Anger slapped a meaty hand to his forehead. "What do you have in mind?"

"You're not invited! And neither are you Whiney!" she said turning to Fear, "Girls Only!"

"Like a makeover or something?" Riley questioned slightly hesitant.

"You think Riley's on board with that?" snarled Anger.

"Like I would make my little girl do anything she didn't want to do!" said Disgust primly. She lead Riley by a lime arm through to one of the closets where Disgust kept mountains upon mountains of clothes. "Come on honey, I've got the cutest little dress just for you!"

Anger and Fear watched as she stuck her long pink tongue out at them as the door closed leaving them waiting for what they were sure to be a while.

"Do you think Disgust is being sincere?" Fear said.

"Yup, unfortunately I do," muttered Anger as he opened another issue of The Mind Reader, "that or somebody's looking for a promotion."

* * *

Joy stood in sunlight chamber, adorned with stuffed animals and Rainbow Unicorn posters, she faced in front of her golden mirror placing a hand on the glass, her reflection trembling like water. She looked to the bed, the cotton pillows, the pale yellow sheets, the daffodil duvet. The bag lay strewn over them all, a tiny tube shaped silky container that held an infinity of dreams and wonders. Sighing softly she picked it up and cradled it to her chest, still hearing those final words of his:

 _Take her to the moon for me...okay?_

"I will," she whispered under her breath, "I promise." This time she wasn't promising him. She was promising herself.

Swinging the bag over one shoulder she saluted herself in the mirror and (before rushing back to fix her hair into place,) headed downstairs.

"Hello! Fellow Emotions!" she called as she re-entered the control room, she stopped in surprise as she saw Disgust pondering her new mannequin that looked exactly like Riley wearing a bright blue dress. Sadness sat cross legged smiling for once, Anger and Fear looked on, Fear giving the thumbs up after Disgust ordered her to twirl, Anger clapping despite the fact he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"Hmm mm, hmm mm," Disgust was saying, "Yeah, I like it very chic!"

Joy giggled delightedly, "Whoa what happened while I was gone?"

"Oh nothing just a little dress up is all," said Disgust proudly.

"Riley you look amazing!" Joy said throwing her arms up, "I love that color on you!"

"Thank you!" said Riley swishing around again, and never having felt this confident, curtsying, "Aunty Disgust made it for me!"

Anger spluttered at the word "Aunty," and Disgust shot him a glower.

"Well you look awesome! Great work Disgust!"

Disgust fained a yawn, "What can I say? I'm just great with my hands!"

"What did I come down here for again? Never mind, OH! NO WAIT! I Got it! Riley..." she lead the girl away from the closet area and over beside Sadness who got to her feet and brushed herself down, "Any idea what this is? And not to pressure you or anything, but it's kinda an important question."

Riley stared blankly at the item in her auric hands. "A...sack?"

"Close enough! This isn't just any old sack, this belonged to somebody really special in your life!"

"In my life?" Riley thought for a moment. "I don't remember my Mom ever owning a bag like that."

"No," urged Joy, "Come on Riley, Think. Think friends."

"Meg?"

"Nuh uh."

"Mandy?"

"Nope!"

"I don't know. Seriously I don't."

Joy glanced at Sadness who was desperately trying to stop her from saying any more. "Joy-no!"

"Just a minute Sadness," she said silencing her friend who looked as if her round frame was about to burst at any minute, let alone one. "Riley," she stepped forward offering her the pink bag, dumping it into her palms and smoothing out the creases, "This bag is. It's very...special, to all of us, but especially you." It was then that Anger, Disgust and Fear all stopped and gathered around to watch for their child's response. They knew who Joy meant and they all felt the same pang of longing .

"I don't know what you mean."

Joy's smile faded ever so slightly at the edges, unnoticeable but still there. "Well-This bag was your childhood Riley, it gave you so many things. Or rather, he did." Joy turned around for a minute and said nothing leaving the room in uncomfortable silence. Sadness took the opportunity to stand near Riley and take her hand.

"He?" Riley asked she felt the ice touch her palm.

Joy turned around very slowly, her eyes were filled with confusion. "Bing Bong. Your, Your imaginary friend of course!"

Now it was Riley's turn to be confused, "Me? I don't have an imaginary friend."

"Sure ya do, well you used to. And you used to play with him every day. He'd take you on adventures and sing you songs and tell you stories. He was..." she tried her best to describe him, "a big guy, really fluffy, part cat, part elephant part dolphin? I think. Isn't this ringing any bells?"

Riley shook her head, "No, I don't remember. I'm Sorry."

 _I don't remember._ These three words stung Joy like an angry wasp, piercing into her metaphorical heart, destroying any hope. Riley watched in dismay as her emotion fell to the floor clutching her chest. Fear rushed over to her and caught her before she toppled on her side. "Joy! Quickly, you guys get her lux!"

Sadness was the first to spring to attention running to a drawer as fast as her short legs would allow her. Anger went straight into professional shoving a stool and plumbing the pillows as best he could. Disgust hurriedly searched for her flannel cloth, as Fear and Riley draped Joy's arms around their shoulders and lead her to the couch. Anger lit his head to provide warmth, Disgust giving up finding the cloth instead took off her scarf and wrapped it around Joy's forehead. The yellow emotion groaned as Fear made her sit up. Riley peered at her face which had been drained of it's natural glow, the dark rims under her eyes, her once vibrant strands of hair a dusky blue, her energetic limbs, still and weak. It horrified her to see her head emotion in this state.

"What's happening to her?" panted Riley trying her best not to have a nervous breakdown again.

"It's her light, she's running low," Fear replied, who certainly did look like he was about to have his own nervous breakdown. "She's having one of her spells, it happens whenever there's a huge devastating catastrophe even she can't fix."

"Will she be alright?"

"She will if Eeyore hurries up," said Anger wringing his hands.

"Oh where are you Sadness!" wailed Fear. As if on cue, the blue emotion came charging out of the other room, unscrewing a lilac perfume bottle marked. LL"

"It's about time," said Disgust, shaking her gently.

"I'm Sorry it was sitting under all your old shoes," replied Sadness surprisingly cattily.

"This is not the time you guys!" shouted Fear, feeling her forehead, "she's growing cold! Tip the bottle into her mouth!"

Sadness finally popped open the clutch and poured the camomile ultraviolet mixture down Joy's throat. Almost instantly Joy gave a loud gasp and her light returned in a flash. She sat up gasping before realising where she was. "Oh! Thank you Fear, Sadness."

"That was a close one!" scolded Anger, "Be Careful Joy, you were almost a goner!"

"I know, I know." She sat up and offered Riley her classic smile, "Sorry I scared you Riley, it's nothing worse than asthma."

Riley knew she was lying but didn't contradict her, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh yeah! I'm fine! it's just an allergic reaction, that's all."

Anger wiped his brows from stress then let out a sound like a groan and a sigh merged together. "Grr! That damn black cloud's back!"

Riley saw where he was pointing a tiny black raincloud that she sure wasn't there before and that she sure couldn't possibly have gotten through the window glass. It floated in a single space, a pathetic heap of smoke and water, tiny bolts of electricity running through it.

"Oh not again!" moaned Joy, "I sent a letter to the mind worker to get them to fix that"

"Well it's back!" snapped Anger.

"She can see that!" retorted Disgust imitating his rhythm, something he hated for being pretentious and impertinent.

"You got any idea how to take care of it?" he snarled back.

"Yeah, I could always throw you in there so it could have something to eat."

"What is that thing?" said Riley laughing out if sheer perplexity.

"We don't know," replied Joy who was still recovering on the sofa, "All we know is it showed up outside the window one day and I let it in because it was lost. But it kept coming back and whenever it did, you were hopelessly distressed. We had to get it out of Headquarters territory and I was blaming myself because I thought I was hurting you."

"Which you weren't," Fear reassured her, "you had no idea it had come to cause trouble."

"Kinda, cute isn't it?" said Riley studying the cloud, which was now puffing out little beads of black smog.

"Oh Sure! it look cute, but it's a nuisance,!" said Anger banging his fist on the coffee table.

"That's what I thought too," said Joy, as though embarrassed. "I couldn't find out what it's called or what it does only that the smaller it is the easier it is to take care of but if it gets bigger, the cloud gets thicker and thicker until none of your thought patterns are visible."

"Yeah," agreed Fear, "one time we let it in and it grew to the size of that model dinosaur we saw on that crazy vacation."

"You know about that?" said Riley.

"I logged down every holiday you Mom and Dad ever went on," said Joy, "the black cloud stays away then most of the time. Whenever it comes in here, your fuel tank slows down. It always makes you so sad, it makes you so miserable, even Sadness hates it."

Riley watched Sadness by the window as she used a large broom hitting the cloud to try and reduce it to a pulp. She tried puffing her cheeks together like a blue pufferfish and blowing the black mass away. "Come on! Out you go!" she prompted, soft but firm. When the cloud refused to move an inch, Riley went to help. Sadness gave her the broom and she began whacking it furiously. When that didn't work, Sadness leapt up suddenly, "Wait! I know!" She took the bottle from the coffee table as the others watched nodding their heads in satisfaction. Riley on the other hand could only observe as Sadness pulled the cork and clutch open just a fracture before spilling a drop of the bright potion onto the fog. Immediately it seemed to writhe, gliding through the glass and leaving Riley speechless as it flew off into the mind's sky.

"See, told you I knew," giggled Sadness.

"What is that?" Riley asked peering at the bottle. Sadness held it up for her to see better. "Oh this? It's called Liquid Lux, I found it when we were exploring Goofball Island one day, there's a whole cavern of it down there."

Riley nodded in understanding. "Cool. What do you use it for?"

Sadness shrugged, "Well, I mostly keep it by my bed in case of an emergency, like when you felt you weren't good enough, I sprinkled a little in the fuel tank. Then one day Joy just collapsed so I figured it might help, so now it's her medicine. That's all really, it's like joy in a jar."

Riley's chest settled slightly, as if a feeling if relief in her heart, (if she still had one) had restored her calm. The effect may have come from the liquid lux, or the banishment of the raincloud, though for whichever reason, she was glad.

"You were trying to get her to remember weren't you?" whispered Fear as Riley followed her Sadness to put away the lux, "about-?"

"Yeah," said Joy resting her chin on her knees. "I just thought that maybe she would."

"But I thought you said Bing Bong disappeared in the Memory Dump?" chimed in Disgust.

"He did."

"Well I hate to break this to ya, but he's gone," stated Anger, "Nothing ever comes back from the dump, you know that."

"Yes, I know." Joy curled up further as Sadness and Riley returned to up in them. Sadness sat next to Joy and patted her knee with her tiny blue hand. "I'm sorry you're upset about Bing Bong," she said sadly, "I am too!" with that she crumbled hot, fat tears spurting down her cheeks.

"Sadness, don't make her feel worse," sighed Disgust.

"I'm sh-sh-sh-sharing m-m-myy feelings!" Sadness bawled into her hands. Joy smirked and enveloped her in a hug, "Thanks for trying," she soothed.

"Hey, I could help," said Riley, "my Mom always says you can help someone if you just take the time to listen."

"Well okay. I better explain, I already know you're boggled enough!" Joy chuckled, "When you were very young, you had an imaginary friend called Bing Bong. You two were inseparable, you always played together, ate together and went on road trips together. Once Dad took us camping and you and Bing Bong blabbered away while staring at the skies." She sighed bittersweetly, "I'll never forget the nice things he did for us."

Riley who had smiling all this time at what a dear friend this character was, suddenly looked solemn. "What happened to him?"

Joy shrugged, offering an unhappy smile, "He. He's Gone. He disappeared in the Memory Dump. He...did it to save you."

Riley looked taken aback. "Save me?"

Joy nodded, "You were about to run away from home. Not even Fear, Anger or Disgust could get the idea out of the panel. If Bing Bong hadn't sacrificed himself for me to get back to Headquarters, I would never have found Sadness so she could remove the idea and get you home." Riley stared shaking her head for a minute. "But that's impossible! I thought of that! Nobody was messing with my brain, I just realised I had made a mistake is all!"

"I told you, Riley. We're Emotions. We can't make you think, or speak and we can't always help you make decisions, we can only make you feel. We use the right emotion to match your tone of voice or lend you an idea but that's all."

"So, if Bing Bong knew me so well," began Riley, wouldn't he know how to help me?"

Joy shook her head. "He's gone Riley, he can't help us." She hung her head for a few moments or so. As much as she knew Bing Bong would have jumped the Grand Canyon to save Riley if he knew about her condition, there was no way that he would be able to now. Even if Riley did remember even the faintest glimmer of him there was no way to bring him back.

 _Unless_...

"Guys," said Joy steadily, "get my the train of thought on the phone."

"What for Joy?" said Sadness.

Looking at Riley then back to the others who all stared at her incredulously, she worked up the strength to lift herself from the sofa, smooth down her dress and clench her fists.

"We're going on a little field trip!"

 **Liquid Lux- Euphoria**

 **Black Rain Cloud- Depression**


	11. In Which Riley is Reunited Chap 11 Part1

Chapter 11: In Which Riley is Reunited

There was a commotion going on in Headquarters after Joy had proposed they visit the hall of memories. Fear had packed a suitcase, though Joy tried hard to convince him he wouldn't be needing anything for where they were going. In the end, he ended up leaving it on his dresser.

Joy was adamant that everyone follow suit after she entered the recall tube telling Riley that it was the only way to get in and out of headquarters. Sadness and Riley stood by an old candlestick telephone, the receiver a tiny gold megaphone. Riley watched as Sadness stuck out her tongue as she tried desperately to dial the numbers on the rotating pad. Eventually a burst of static sounded from the other end and Riley put her hands over her ears as it assaulted them. "This is Sadness calling Nerve Connector... come in nerve connector." The voice of an operator came from the speakers,

"This is Head Chief, we read you loud and clear what do you need, over?"

"Could you transfer me to the Train Station please please...over?"

"Just a sec," the sound of more static sounded over the phone as Riley looked at Sadness who shrugged and hung up the receiver in it's holder, "Looks like we have to wait a while Joy," she sighed.

"Oh. Okay." Joy was looking straight out of the window in a trance again. She looked at the girl's islands which remained still, it's drab colours eating away at the wonderful worlds that rested on them.

"So, where exactly are we going?" questioned Anger.

"Memory Dump."

"We are not!"

"We have to, it's the only way for Riley to remember Bing Bong, it might not work, but its worth a shot!"

"In that case!" Disgust cringed, "better take the dress off sweetie, it's really dirty down there." Riley pulled the blue taffeta over her head revealing her star patterned night wear as she handed it to Disgust who drapes it over her arm and went to hang it up in her girl cave.

"Are we seriously doing this?" said Anger at last, "None of us have ever left altogether before!"

"It'll be fine," replied Joy, adjusting the bag on her shoulder and pulling the straps to seal the top.

"But what if does something?" added Disgust, "We've always had one person manning the panel if the rest go to the islands, what's to stop the whole place blowing up if we all leave?"

At this, Fear's right eyeball twitched. Joy paused for a moment. Although she hadn't even thought her own plan through certain something would turn up, there was a slight chance that something terrible could happen if every one of Riley's emotions ventures outside the control tower. If something did happen, it could mean the end of headquarters.

"Well, we have to try!" Joy declared, "For Riley."

Riley who had stopped to trace her hands over the disused memories, heard the buzz of static charge come from the receiver. Before she could alert Sadness however, she saw the blue emotion had already picked up, having waited patiently for a response. "H-Hello?"

An automated, robotic female voice sounded from the tiny golden cup, "We're sorry but your call can not be completed as dial. Please come back later and the Nerve connectors will put you through, Thank you!"

"What did they say!?" asked Riley.

"We can't talk to them j-just yet," Sadness whimpered. "Sorry."

"Give me that!" said Anger hobbling over and grabbing the receiver from her, "Hi! It's me, Anger. Put me through to the train station already!"

"We're Sorry, your call cannot..."

"And drop the act! We all know you're not a computer!"

Riley gasped as the high pitched voice scoffed at the other end. "Oh! Fine! Lemme put you through now. In the meantime enjoy some music."

"Thank you!" said Anger exasperated as he went to put down the phone.

Triple dent Gum it lasts a while...

"AAAAARRRRRGGHH!" Anger opened his jaw in a ferocious cry. "This Again?!"

Riley listened to the strange jingle blaring from the speakers. "Heey," she said grinning, "I know this song! It played in the commercial when I was a little kid!" She began singing along, "Triple dent Gum will make you smile-!"

"Grrrr, we all know the song!" Anger growled.

"Sorry!" said Riley hands in the air, "I could just never get it out of my head!"

"Neither could we," he muttered.

"Everyone the tube is ready! I repeat the tube is ready!" Fear bellowed.

"Riley you and me will go first, okay?"

Before Riley could argue she was afraid of fast rides, the screech of the telephone sounded again. Anger not wishing to hear the "dumb commercial" again passed it to Sadness and joined Disgust who was already bracing herself for tube travel.

"Thank you," came the sound of Sadness' muffled voice from the corner. "That was the Conductor," she informed Joy, "he should be here any moment, he said we could hitch a ride."

"Great!" clapped Joy, "in that case, Sadness could you go and het that "special project" you've been working on?"

A realization seemed to appear in her eyes as the blue emotion nodded and dashed up the ramp. Riley watched her; her face full of excitement that was impossible to truly define under her dismal demeanour.

Joy was as peppy always."Come on Fear, show Riley what she'll be doing."

"Yeah, um one problem." added Sadness.

"What's that?"

"He says we only get one shot, after that the train won't come along again until he stops off at a station. He's afraid it might run out of fuel again."

"Fuel-?"

"See ya!" waved Disgust as Fear closed the tube. A dismayed look played upon Riley's face as she shot off in a blur of green, her grassy hair flowing behind her. Anger climbed in next, swatting away Fear as he tried to close the hatch. "See ya on the other side kid!" he said winking at Riley.

"So long!" she waved back.

After that Anger had shot off too, turning the glass tube amber from his heat. Joy shook her head laughing as Fear pulled a face behind him. He laughed nervously, "You're not gonna tell him I did that are you?"

"Of course not, Come on Riley! Lets go! Riley?"

Riley was keeping her distance from the tube as though it were an enormous crystal snake bent on striking at her with it's shards of glass.

Joy noticed her edging away, and walked towards her slowly, "What's wrong?"

Riley began to shiver, "I'm-I'm scared."

Joy smiled sympathetically, and took the girl's head in her hands, "There's nothing to be afraid of Riley, it's just a recall tube we put old memories up there all the time. Don't be afraid, really it's okay!"

"I'll go," Sadness piped up, returning.

"You will?" Joy beamed.

"That way Riley can see the tube isn't dangerous because it doesn't make me cry. And we have to be honest here Joy, everything makes me cry."

Riley saw she was dragging a beaten up, scarlet wagon behind her, with brooms at the side and the wheels screeching from years of being oil deprived. Riley covers her ears as another offensive sound entered them, the kind of long acrylic fingernails scratching down a blackboard.

"This is what you've been working on all this time?" inquired Fear, his knitted eyebrows raising.

"Well, yeah. It belongs to Bing Bong, well it did until..."

Afraid she might start up again, Joy hurriedly said to Fear, "she's very clever! She's been working on this since last year."

"I found it washed ashore in the Sea of Misrecallect. It was all in pieces so I brought it back and fixed it up a little bit. I added some new upgrades with the help of Imaginationland."

"Ooh! Show me Show me!" pleaded Joy.

Sadness flicked a switch on the wagon's undercarriage and immediately grew larger, two smaller wagons appearing behind it.

"Wow!" breathed Riley, "you did that?"

Sadness nodded in surprise, "Uh huh."

"It's Awesome! You're awesome! It took me half a year to figure out how my new cellphone worked! And you basically just made a car by yourself."

Sadness blushed. "It was in the manual."

"So, Sadness are you going first?" Joy asked, eager to hurry along.

"Yeah!"

"Wait," said Fear, "how are you going to take that with you?" he pointed to the wagon, "that's never going to fit in the tube."

"Oh. You're right." Sadness pressed another button underneath her invention and instantly it shrunk into a tiny red cube which she caught in her palm and stuffed into her sweater pocket. Joy, Fear and Riley stared open mouthed.

"What?" Sadness shrugged, "it's Imaginary."

"Oh. Well alright! Here we go!" Joy lead Riley slowly to the tube, her feet bare and cold under the harsh floor. Noticing this apprehension and what Riley associated the tube with Joy hurriedly said, "tubes can be helpful sometimes. You're on some right now to keep you healthy. See Sadness is going by herself." Riley watched as Fear strapped Sadness into the tube, pulled down the roof and she zoomed away in a flash. Riley nodded, swallowing her nerves and step in left foot first. She relaxed a little as she allowed Fear to move her hands to rest on her stomach.

"Okay, arms in and once you feel a whoosh of air, fold your arms across your body and just go! Hey, are you sure you're all right?"

Riley shook her head, "Uh uh, not really."

Fear looked concerned. "Right..." he turned to Joy. "I don't think this is such a good idea-I mean we shouldn't rush her into doing something she's afraid of."

Joy sighed, "Maybe you're right. Riley-"

Riley had heard enough and pulled the glass roof of the recall tube down.

Fear cringed, "No no! She needs to be buckled in-!"

That was the last thing Riley heard before she shot off like a jet through a narrow, winding passage. She felt like food being swallowed down an esophagus, as she watched from the clear glass to watch the grey islands.

She was unaware if it, but she was screaming so loudly it was the reason the tube was beginning to shake slightly. She felt her cheeks pulled back from the force of the cool wind, as she whizzed on, trapped in a typhoon chamber. Finally with one last scream, she could see it...a bright, colourful light. She put her arms across her body as Fear had instructed her and braced for landing.

Thump!

"Ow!" Riley yelped out in pain as she felt her rump make contact with something hard. "Wha-?" Looking around she noticed more of the orbs. Only these were different. They were bright and full of colour unlike the cold lumps if granite back in Headquarters. Each contained what appeared to be a moving picture, playing over and over again like a recording. Riley took a bright red one which appeared to show her yelling at a group of boys.

"You are such jerks!" came a tiny voice from the ball. It took her not a minute longer to realise the voice belonged to her.

She could hear more voices too, equally annoyed and both loud.

"Oh great fall, Brickhead!"

"Oh, where am I supposed to fall?"

"Somewhere that isn't my head!"

"IF YOU MOVED YOUR GIANT GREEN PEA OF A HEAD OUT OF THE WAY-" Riley giggled as she watched Anger and Disgust fire insults back and forth at each other. She searched around for Sadness and eventually found her wandering by herself through some shelves, tapping each orb along the bottom and turning them deep blue.

Riley gasped in amazement as she scrambled out of the recall container to find rows and rows of enormous shelves, each with thousands upon thousands of the same colourful memory orbs.

"Look out below!" came a cheerful voice from the tube exit.

"I don't think this was such a-"

Riley leapt to the side as Joy and Fear shot out like cannonballs into a sea of rainbow memories. Joy was laughing holding her stomach, Fear looked shaken, his antennae twisted, limbs quivering and looking as if he were about to vomit at any moment.

"Oh wow look at this!" gasped Joy. She held up a glowing yellow orb. "All the memories down here are still working! How can that be?"

Riley didn't seem to care why or how these orbs were different than those on the shelves upstairs. She only wanted to stare at them, their glorious rainbow infusions dancing forever.

"What are these?" the girl asked in amazement.

"These, Riley are your other memories, well their not as important as core but they're very very special. Every single day in your life, these memories have been created at different times and each of us," she pointed to all the emotions. "Were there to give you the appropriate reaction."

"Yeah, can't have you giggling at slime," grinned Disgust.

"And then they end up here in Long Term!" Joy finished.

Riley peered into the first walkway, laden with memories of all different colours and activities playing within them. "Looks like a maze."

"Oh, everybody gets lost in Long Term Memory!"

"Yeah," agreed Sadness, "You wouldn't believe how lost Joy and I got when we first came here."

"You've been here before?"

"We haven't!" Anger interrupted. "Joy, are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"I do not want to get lost in a dirty hallway," uttered Disgust.

"I kind of second that," whispered Fear.

Joy swatted her hand playfully, "What? Pfft! Come on you guys, this is to help Riley, besides since when have I ever been wrong?" Sadness, Anger and Disgust gave her flat looks while Fear tried to look anywhere else.

"Oh okay, aside from those other times I've been- look we're not even going to go into Long Term, we're taking the Train of Thought remember?"

"Yeah, the smelly train, full of thrown away facts and opinions. Great plan Joy," muttered Disgust.

"Well have you got any better ideas?" snapped Anger.

"Yes actually. Right now my idea is to avoid catching your stupidity."

Anger growled but before he could blow his top again, Riley's voice was heard near a shelf.

"What's this?"

Joy skipped towards her peering over her shoulder at the golden memory she held in her hands. "Oh, that was the day you..." she paused her happiness quickly diminishing into guilt. The memory showed Riley riding a black and violet bike, silver wheels, beginner's model; down the street next to the tall damp building that was her San Francisco apartment. The plants were wilted, yet the rain had left the air cool and crisp and clear, the scent of the watered gardinas was almost real to Riley now as she stared at the image of father and daughter. The man chortling to himself, the young girl's sandy hair flying behind her as she rode down the hill, her helmet glinting. No tubes. No oxygen mask. No stitches.

"I wish I hadn't been so stupid as to not wear the protection gear Dad told me to."

"Woah, hey Riley! You're not stupid! You listened to us remember? It's my fault. I pushed Fear put if the way when I was supposed to let him do his job. If I had just let him give you the incentive to wear the helmet, then none of this would have happened, and you wouldn't be stuck here." She brushed off any other harsh words towards herself and went straight back into happy mode again, "But don't worry! That's exactly what we're here to fix!"

Parents Anniversary?

Ah, it happens every year, she doesn't need to remember all year round, just on one day!

Forget em!

Joy and Riley paused as two voices around another shelf alerted them to why they had come down here in the first place.

"Mind Workers!" said Joy, "I bet they can help us!"

Riley followed Joy briskly as the emotion ran towards another bend. From over her shoulder she heard Anger grumble, "We're not going into Long Term," she said."

All the Animaniacs songs?"

"Come on! That was like in elementary school, when is Math ever gonna be crucial in life?"

Forget em!

"Hello!" waved Joy as she skidded to a halt beside them. The mind workers which to Riley still looked like melted gumdrops stopped their duties and turned to talk to her.

"Oh," said the female. "It's you! Never thought I'd see you down here again, friend."

"It's been a while," grimaced Joy, "we sorta have a problem."

"What kinda problem?" the male asked.

"Try twenty!" came Anger's voice. "He was followed by Disgust and Fear. Sadness trapsed behind them before eventually falling on her stomach like a blue cushion.

"Okaay? Twenty. Sure it's nothing old reliable can't fix," the male worker said gesturing to the tube. "Say, ain't that the guy we like to annoy Paula? You know, triple dent gum will make you smile, triple dent gum it lasts a while..." As he laughed, Anger's eye twitched. "So it was you!"

Too avoid what she saw was a bloodbath, Joy quickly said, "Well, Anyway. We kind of have a surprise. But you can't tell anyone," Joy explained full of nervous glee.

The forgettors looked at each other, "We're listening."

"Riley? Riley come on out! Come meet Bobby and Paula!"

The sound of shuffling feet came from behind a shelf. Two baby blue eyes appeared, and a mop of ash blonde hair.

"H-Hello?"

"Riley these are the Forgettors, they're the ones that get rid of unwanted memories, without consulting me first," she added under her breath. "They're pretty cool. Aren't ya guys?"

The forgettors said nothing. They just stood there mouths agspe, they're pupils the size of pinpricks.

"Hello? Cat got your tongues?" she laughed waving her hand in front of them.

"Hey listen, we're trying to catch the Train of Thought that will take us over Memory Dump. Do you know where we could find it?"

Both nodded slowly, not letting go of their shock. They pointed slowly but simultaneously to where a station could be sighted. Fortunately the train hadn't arrived for them yet.

"Great thanks! Come on you guys!" the other emotions followed suit along with Riley who nodded and smiled gratefully at the mind workers before catching up with Joy.

"Did you see what I saw?" asked Forgettor Paula her blank stare never leaving hwr face.

"Do you think this tube would work on us?" Forgettor Bobby suggested.

"I won't tell if you don't."

"Done."

* * *

After the pink and lilac locomotive let them aboard, (by let Disgust was trying desperately to grab a hold of someone's hand as it whizzed past to pull her into the carriage. In the end she swallowed her pride and grabbed Anger's.) the emotions sat around discussing their next move. Sadness lay with her head against a box, staring forlornly at the ceiling, Fear drew circles trying calm himself down. Riley was doing most of the talking, something that even surprised herself.

"And then I remember how pulling off a band aid feels after you've done it and I was afraid but then I remembered the cream would relieve it so I ripped it off and even though it was painful it felt good to get it over with. Thank you Fear!"

"My pleasure Riley. Band aids suck!"

"What's that?" said Riley pointing out of the window at a tall pink turret.

"Ooh! That's Imaginationland!" said Joy, "We must be getting closer to the Dump by now!"

"Wow Deja vu sure looks pretty from up here." Fear commented.

"There's the Imagination gate," clapped Disgust. "I think we're close too!"

"Friendship Island's still down though," grumbled Anger.

"So is-Wizarding School Island!" sniffed Sadness looking as though she were about to cry again.

"Wow, Deja vu looks pretty from up here." Fear commented.

"Alright Mr Conductor, once we're over the Memory Dump you can just lower us in!" Joy called to him.

The Conductor called back over his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?! Nothin' comes back from the Dump ya know!"

"I know, but don't worry we'll be fine!" she glanced at Riley, "I'll make sure of it."

Joy took some food from the corner of the train and handed a coil to each emotion, "Wrap this around yourselves," she instructed, hurry-Oh and make sure it's tight! We don't want to get separated down there."

S-Sseperated, did I hear th-that r-r-r-right?" stuttered Fear.

Anger, who's hands were the largest, helped to tie a difficult Disgust and a terrified Fear while Joy worked on helping Sadness and Riley.

"Okay, like this," she said wrapping the rope around her own midsection.

Sadness watched unblinking. Riley's heart was in her mouth. Whether or not it was a real heart was a puzzle yet to be solved.

"This isn't- like Bungey Jumping is it?" she asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I mean-! Well uh no it's...it's..." Joy tried to find the right word. "It's fun! And anyway I'm leading. Sadness you go on behind me, Riley next, then Disgust, then Anger, then Fear."

Fear practically threw himself to the ground "Please don't make me go at the back! It's always faster at the back!"

"It's just for a short while, soothed Joy.

"I don't wanna-!"

"Oh quit your whining Cry Baby! I'll go to the back!" Anger said scowling.

"Maybe your square head will weigh us down!" snickered Disgust, and r once Anger managed to ignore her.

"I'm opening the doors now!" the Conductor announced.

"Okay!" Joy called back, "Ready when you are!" She held her bag tightly across her chest.

The bottom of the train suddenly fell apart to leave a small square hole just big enough for them to get through. Joy stood at the front, carefully making sure her friends and her girl were safely secured.

"On the count of three!" Joy called to them.

"Can't we make that ten?" Fear whimpered.

"One."

"I'm really not comfortable with this!"

"Two."

"Joy!?"

" _Three_!"

The emotion jumped out through the floorboard of the train, waving and and saluting the conductor as she did so. Sadness clung to her rope, fas she was pulled along next. Riley felt herself beginning to slip even though she tried her best not to. With Sadness' weight and the extra from the bag, Riley felt herself fall straight forward, her vision distorting, blood running to her head as she plummeted downwards into a gap of darkness. A never-ending abyss of nothingness.

As gravity continued to smack her in the face, she could hear the other emotions screaming. Fear's was the loudest, his arms up above his head, hitting an already irritated Anger in the eye. "Why you-!"

"Riley! It's a straight fall down!" Joy shouted up to her, "Everyone I'm going to undo the rope."

"Are you crazy?!" screamed Disgust.

"Just trust me on this!"

Ignoring the other emotion's pleas, Joy untied herself like an acrobat in mid air and caused the others could to fall off them. All screamed in terror, including Riley herself. Fear had wrapped himself around her head like a turban in a frenzied state. As she stared below her she could see mountains and mountains of rocks surrounded by thick blackness. She continued to scream, shutting her eyes until she fell. Down...down...down...

CRASH!

The sound of a ball being dropped in a field of pebbles is what greeted them as their drop came to an end. Their buttocks were greeted however with a hard and stinging pain, cold marble and stone.

Riley had ended up next to Sadness, on her stomach, the pain unfelt to her. Sadness however was reeling, weeping and holding her tummy. Riley immediately helped her from the heap and pulled her to her feet. In doing so she saw what she was holding. Memories. These were memories. Pale and Grey and fading. Cracked and scratched at the edges, their golden colour becoming an unwashed copper hue. Riley felt her eyes sting. It was like a graveyard, dead daydreams, memories mortem.

A glowing light, appeared from the bones. Joy was up, slightly shaken but still her cheerful self. She lit up the entire pit like a star, and suddenly Riley didn't feel all that afraid. "Is everybody alright?"

"No!" came the sore voices of Anger, Fear and Disgust. Joy shook her head. Seeing Riley she hopped towards her and embraced her, the warm feeling inside Riley slowly returning in her invisible stomach. "You okay?"

"Yep! I'm fine I was just a little scared."

"Me too!" Joy giggled, "It was a little scary wasn't it? Now, I'm going to need you for this Riley."

"Me?" Riley became anxious again. She hated it when Joy moved away from her. It only made the darkness creep in quicker.

Joy nodded. "Uh huh! Follow me gang!"

Disgust sluggishly got to her feet, putting her hair back into place. "I swear to...Ugh! It's so filthy down here! I can actually taste it!"

"Sure that isn't just your breath," sniped Anger with an evil grin. Disgust was just about to use the back of her hand to "slap some manners into him," as she called it, when Joy stopped them. "Everybody wait a minute!"

She paused and looked around, her form acting as a torch to guide the way. Finally she saw something. Running towards it delving into faded memories, she picked up a sepia memory of Riley, tears in her eyes.

We used to play tag and stuff but, since we moved...

"This is it." Joy declared. "Sadness, have you still got that wagon?"

Sadness stepped forth nodding and brought the red box from her pocket. Joy opened the bag and plucked out a yellow memory. It was so bright that the dark dump suddenly became the cave of wonders. Riley saw Anger, Fear and Disgust's eyes open wide, in realisation of what she was trying to do. Although Riley couldn't understand it, she contunued to watch in intrigue.

"Is she doing what I think she's doing?" whispered Fear.

"It looks like it," replied Disgust, "is she planning on-"

"No," stated Anger, "it's impossible, no one can resurrect a forgotten memory. That's why their called forgotten!"

Joy then brought out another one, handing it to Sadness and gestured to Riley, extending her electric arm. Riley nervously complied, feeling that as long as she stayed in the light, she would be alright. Joy took her hand and Sadness held up the memory for Riley to take. The cool sphere gave weight back to her fingers, and she felt real again. Peering into the orb she saw a young child, her hair in pigtails running chasing some sort of strange and large animal on the ceiling of her own home. Riley supposed it to be a bear or a large cat.

"You see him?" Joy asked softly.

"Yeah," said Riley, her own tone hushed.

"That is Bing Bong. Your imaginary friend. The one you played with when there was no one there to play with."

Riley felt a twinge of pain, although she did not understand why.

Joy saw her staring at the other orbs in the emotion's own arms. They were full of the same image. A girl finger painting, purple ooze dripping down rice paper as a larger being handed her strands of macaroni, a girl on a swung being pushed by someone in a brown jacket and hat and a girl crawling on all fours through the garden grass when she was ambushed and tickled mercilessly by a gigantic beast. Joy lifted Riley's memory so that it touched her chest.

" _Now wish."_

Riley closed her eyes, still seeing Joy's light and the shine of the orbs. She shut out everything else she was aware was going on around her. She could feel Fear's heavy breathing, Disgust's tiny gasps, Sadness' soft nose wiping her sweater. Clutching the ball tighter she pictured what may have been. Although she didn't know him, whoever Joy said was a friend of hers was most likely a person worth trusting.

She felt the orb become hot in her hands but it did not burn nor scald her. She let the warmth travel to her fingertips and shoot out like beams. When she opened her eyes, she realized her vision was blocked by a dazzling yellow light. She dropped the orb-but instead of falling to the ground it stayed hovering in mid air in front of her. Then without warning, it shot off as fast as lightening towards a hill of dead memories, resting atop it like a star on a Christmas Tree. The orb then vegan to change shape. It grew, it's size contorting into a mass of fur and fabric.

"Please...Please..." Joy begged to nothing.

The last of the orb changed, the final piece, a hat which fell to the head of the large hill creature. Everyone held their breath. Then the large creature stirred, shuddered and let out a huge yawn that echoed around the entire dump. Joy immediately sprinted over, despretely trying to scramble up the mound.

"Quick! We have to help!" said Fear running over to her. The others followed, Anger letting Joy stand in his hands to lift her up. Joy made it, even if she slipped on old memories in the process. Gently she shook the creature awake.

"Bing Bong?"

"Mmmm."

"Psst! Bing Bong!"

A voice could be heard from the creature, it sounded high pitched and playful. "Huh? What?"

"Bing Bong it's me. Joy!"

Bing Bong shook his head and yawned a great yawn again. "Joy...?" he muttered groggily. Then rubbing his eyes he sat up straight. "JOY! JOY, WHAT, HOW! What are you doing here?! What am _I_ doing here?!"

Joy threw her arms around him, "Oh Bing Bong you're alive!"

Bing Bong patted her back. "Course I'm alive, though it was strange. How long have I been asleep?"

"Far too long!"

Suddenly he let out a loud gasp. "Headquarters! Joy you're supposed to be in Headquarters, that's why I leapt out of the wagon I remember now! What the heck are ya doing down here?"

"I'm fine Bing Bong! We all are!" she gestured to the other emotions who stared with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Hello." said Sadness her own eyes large.

"Heeey!" laughed Bing Bong, "it's you! Come here!"

Sadness wasted no time in scurrying up the mound to his arms. "How's my little hugging buddy-been?"

"Okay." Then she turned to Anger, Disgust and Fear who stood behind her smiles beginning to appear on their faces. "This is the rest of our group."

"Oh! The whole gang's here! Bring it in! Group Hug!" All stared as Bing Bong gave a wide grin and slid straight down the hill capturing them all in a tight embrace. Anger who wasn't one for such physical contact immediately sent off a warning flame, Disgust who did not enjoy being close to a stranger's face instinctively tried to struggle out of it. Fear was the only one enjoying the hug, even if he was being slightly squished.

"Oh, we've all got some catching up to do! I wanna know what's been happening since I'm outta hibernation, how ya been?"

"Great!" smiled Joy. Then she remembered and the change in her eyes was clear, "Well- actually. Things haven't been so great recently."

"Really? How come?"

"Well it concerns Riley. She um- had a little...A big accident. And now she's, well she's in a coma."

Bing Bong looked more dismayed than Joy had ever seen him, his half gloved hands up to his forehead. "Oh No!"

"I'm sorry, it was my fault. I shouldn't have gotten her to ride the ramp."

"Is she safe?" he asked deep concern in his voice.

"For now. She's resting in hospital I think. Or maybe at home I don't know. But our Headquarters is shut down and her memories aren't working. Those that are are either core or up at Long Term."

Bing Bong sat quietly thinking to himself. At least he thought it was quiet. Everything he thought came out of his mouth anyway.

"Oh, well this isn't good, no no no, this isn't good at all! We gotta get ya back up there!"

"Well actually Bing Bong. We came down here to see you."

"Aww! That's sweet! I've been meaning to send a postcard, course there aren't any mail boxes down here, so I have had problems getting them to-"

Joy stopped him. "Bing Bong I don't want you to freak out or anything. But something amazing has happened. And we thought we'd surprise you."

"Ooh! Yippee! I love surprises! Is it a cake?" he said looking around.

"Better!" said Joy turning him around.

"Joy come on! What could be better then-"

His face changed when he saw who was standing there. It was a little girl, yet she looked nothing like the emotions. Her skin was pale, her hair light, her pyjamas full of stars.

Riley saw him for the first time and was taken aback yet surprised. He was bright pink with the head of an elephant. He had big green eyes, and wore a bowler hat and tattered brown jacket, with patches re-sewn and a badge resembling a wheel of colour. He had human like hands, and wore fingerless gloves over them. He appeared to be some sort of tramp. Riley also saw he had a long bushy purple tail, and orange and yellow rings around his feet.

His face did not seem to match his voice now. It was solemn, shocked and stunned by her. Slowly he walked across the frozen memories towards her, stopping just a few inches in front of her. "R-Riley...?!"

Riley nodded, used to those knowing exactly who she was by now. "Yes."

"Riley..." he repeated. "You...You grown so big now!"

Riley looked at the floor while Bing Bong seemed to measure her. "I remember when I last saw you...ya barely came up to my knee!"

Riley stared blankly at him. "Do I know you?"

Bing Bong's face became longer, his tiny ears drooping, "Yeah. Sure ya do! I'm Bing Bong! Your imaginary friend! We use'ta draw together and stay up late eating popcorn and played outside!" His face lit up again. "Oh! Us gotta remember the rocket! That thing was where we went on all our adventures together! We tried to to go to the moon, and we went to Paris to see all the French things, the Eiffel Tower, the Louve, the Pyramids...you loved flying in the rocket!"

Riley thought hard, but couldn't grasp hold of anything he was talking about. She had never been to the moon, and her parents never had the money to take her to Paris. Yet his face was so eager, his eyes so full of innocence that he was completely sure of what he was talking about. Riley didn't have the words to tell him she didn't know who he was.

"You really... don't remember me...?"

Riley shook her head, feeling her chest tighten.

"Oh. Well. I uh...I guess I gotta go..."

Joy frantically shook her head in despair, Come on Riley! You know him, just try to remember!

Bing Bong sighed, walking away his trunk bent over, head hung. A glint of a candy wrapper was visible in one eye.

Joy crumbled as she saw him walk back into the dark, a lonely figure that had once held such a special place in Riley's heart. Gone...along with all the other memories.

 _Who's your friend who likes to play?_

Bing Bong stopped. His theme song! It always pleased him to hear someone singing it. Riley had of course come up with the igneous lyrics. But usually he was the only one that sung his theme song. He didn't really have anybody else to sing it with. Joy noticed this. And it hit her. And when it did, relief flooded her.

He turned around and saw Riley was still standing there, only now she looked on wide eyed. He stared in amazement as she ran towards him, stopping right beside him. Her blue eyes were full of silver tears.

"I know you..." she whispered.

"You. You do?!"

"Yeah. Yeah! I do!" It all came rushing back to her like a river's rapids. This was the friend she had created one day in her living room. She was lonely and tired of playing by herself. So she drew a picture in crayon on the wall, an elephant, cat dolphin hybrid she had dubbed Bing Bong. He had been made of cotton candy. He even cried candy so that he could still feel better even when he was sad. He was the one who taught her how to dance, how to fly and how to make her imagination come to life. Bing Bong. Her old best friend.

Unable to hold back her tears of sheer happiness, she looked up at him, her feelings of a longing for comfort unleashing themselves.

"Bing Bong?"

Bing Bong gasped in excitement. "You remember me?!"

Riley nodded proudly.

"I knew it! You do remember me!"

He opened his arms and she rushed into them, burrying her face in his fur. His belly still carried the sweet aroma of cotton candy.

Joy and the other emotions looked on from the side. Joy nodding triumphantly, Sadness' glad face blinking away tears, Fear poking his head out between the both of them, exhilaration in his eyes, Disgust smiling in awe, trying her best to conceal her own tears. Even Anger stood nodding giving a warm, rare smile.

Riley cried cried out in tearful, joyful sobs, soaking his chest as he pulled her tighter.

"Oh Bing Bong! I've missed you...!"

"I've missed you too Riley!" he said back, his voice cracking.

Candy wrappers littered the floor, piling the dump with better sweeter things than forgotten memories. As the emotions stood on, not speaking, letting the two have their moment, Joy glanced at Sadness and the two watched with their arms around each others shoulders as their two most adored people were finally reunited.


	12. In Which Riley Discovers Nostalgia

**Chapter 12: In Which Riley Discovers Nostalgia**

 **Very VERY Sorry for the lack of updates, I've just been so busy lately! Anyway here you go, please enjoy and review if you can. Sorry about the length!**

It had always amazed Riley how things would get lost under the bed. Old black socks with holes in them, an eyeless toy, a battered shoe, a coloring book frayed and brown at the edges. When she was a child she often pictured a black hole that was situated underneath the mattress that came out to feed like a panther devouring any stray items of clothing or any dolls that lay broken and forgotten on a dusty carpet. Riley always told her mother about this whenever she came in with the laundry basket. She would be greeted by a tiny pig -tailed girl in a pink cardigan wailing. One winter's day, Riley had seen it snow from her window and desperately ran to find her favourite mittens, only to discover one was missing. She ran to her mother in a panic. "The monster has eaten my glove!" to which Mrs Anderson would smile and respond, "Oh it's okay sweetie, mommy will find it." Hours later the purple glove had been retrieved, always leaving Riley to wonder where these things went every time she needed them most.

It was around this time that Bing Bong came into her life. While her mother was in the kitchen cooking, or her father at work, she would draw constant pictures of an animal she had once or twice created from her other favourite things. A mass of pink crayon candyfloss body, a long and curved trunk, two pea green eyes and a bushy purple tail. She would be well into her work when her mother would return taking off her oven mits. "That's cute. Who's that honey?" she would ask.

"Bing Bong," her daughter would reply matter of factly.

"Well, does Bing Bong like chocolate fudge cake?" her mother would laugh, "Should I cut him a slice?" to which Riley would immediately bound into the kitchen to sit at the table.  
Bing Bong soon began to form in Riley's head, no longer was he a mere drawing on paper, (and sometimes the wall) but a living breathing reality. He and Riley would hide in the sheets on laundry day and pretend they were in a fortress. If it was sunny outside, they would play in the half full paddling pool and pretend to sail on the high seas. On garden days, they would run through the bushes and pretend they were lost in a strange exotic jungle.  
Bing Bong would always join the family at meal times and sometimes would bring back food of his own from Imagineationland, giant french fries, cake with layers of icing and a special type of food he call Nutcake, a sort of loaf dotted with pieces of peanut, pistachio and cashew. This confused as when she asked him what it was, he kept saying, "I told ya Riley, it's Not-cake! "  
Riley had forgotten all memories of Bing Bong after that, as by the age of seven she was going to school and making real friends. She hadn't needed Bing Bong to play with her or watch TV with her or help her with childish dilemmas. So she could hardly believe that here she was, walking along a sea of forgotten memories with him, talking as they relived time after time together.

"Hey, remember that time we were in a band?"

"Oh yeah! I played pans!" Riley giggled, "What about the time my Dad opened the car door for you when we went to kindergarten?"

"Yeah, d'ja remember what I said to him? I said "Yessir, Mr Dad Sir!" he recalled, saluting with his trunk.  
Riley laughed, "Oh yeah, I remember! That was the day we had show and tell and I brought you in to play with the other kids, 'course they couldn't see you but still it was fun!"

"That teacher was great! Hey do you remember the time you and I went back in time?"  
Riley thought for a moment and then nodded vigorously in excitement. "Hm-hm! We had breakfast twice that day!"

"You remember?!"

"Yeah, how could I forget! We went back to before we had lunch and ate toast and waffles again!"

"YOU REMEMBER!" cried Bing Bong, beside himself with joy. He turned to Joy herself, who had been surprisingly quiet since his and Riley's reunion. He whispered to her, the glint of a candy corn appearing in his eye, "She remembers me."  
Joy beamed. She had waited and waited for this day. She had always wanted to see if a memory resurrection would work, ever since Sadness had shown her the passage in the manuals. In fact she knew it was Sadness she had to thank. The small blue emotion was shuffling close to, yet still keeping a respectful distance from Bing Bong and Riley.

"Hey Sadness?" she asked. The blue lump approached her, and was suddenly thrown into a tight hug.

"Thanks." All Sadness could do was grin and hug back, "You're welcome Joy - for whatever I did."

"You brought back Bing Bong silly!"

"I did?"

"Yeah, if you hadn't shown me that Long Term Memory Retrieval Volume 12, he wouldn't be standing here right now!"

"Oh..." Sadness glanced at their old friend as he caught up more with Riley. Although she wasn't sure how helping Joy do her homework on memory retrieval was such a huge thing, she was glad that her "miserable existence" as she called it, was of worth.

Anger, Disgust and Fear was just as curious as to what their old friend had been doing all this time, aside from being forgotten. Fear kept asking a dozen questions, primarily all being euphamisms for whether he was a product of psychosis. Disgust seemed interested in him, even if his sense of fashion was something to be desired. Anger waddled along seeming perplexed by the whole situation, and was beginning to wonder what other loopholes Sadness had found whilst flicking through those manuals.

"-And then there was that time we opened the Squishee Dough packet!""

"-Yeah, my hands got all messy, so did your feet I was scared Mom was gonna find out about the footprints!"

"Ugh, that stuff was gross!" Disgust groaned, "it was always so icky and don't get me started on the smell!"

"I can't remember if it was toxic or not, did it have a label - it must have had a label." Fear pondered aloud.

"Ah, who cares?" shrugged Anger, "the worst part was when it didn't mould into what we were trying to make!" He clenched his jaw, "We make a sheep and it gives us a shapeless, useless rock...!"

Riley felt a soft elbow at her side. Bing Bong was nudging her gently in the ribs. "Gee, who invited these party-poopers?" he joked.

"I HEARD that!" Anger sounded, neither of them sure whether he was joking or serious.  
Bing Bong cringed comically, earning a loud laugh from Riley. Bing Bong smiled, Oh what a marvel it was to hear her laugh again. It was such a carefree, juvenile sound that was highly contagious to anyone standing nearby.

"So Riley, didja ever get out of Kindergarten alive?"

Riley laughed again, "Thankfully, yeah I did!"

Bing Bong looked amazed. "How did ya escape?!"

"Well, I got moved up into First Grade, then Second Grade and so on...and then about a year ago we left Minnesota and moved West, so now I'm pretty much in a new school with new friends."  
Bing Bong looked a little crestfallen. "Oh. So uh...no problems?"

Riley shook her head. "Everybody's pretty nice. I got on a new hockey team and History's cool. And I can spell really long words now. Remember when I couldn't even spell "boat?" Well listen to this: S! Awesome right? I'm thinking of maybe joining the championship spelling bee this year!"  
Bing Bong was smiling but at the same time sighing inside. His Riley really was all grown up, and didn't need him anymore. But it was a fantastic thing to be able to speak to her again. The last time they conversed she had been a toddler just given up pacifiers.

"So...what exactly are you again?" Riley asked suddenly.  
Once again, he lit up. "You know it's unclear, but shape wise, you gave me cotter candy belly, an elephant head, a cat tail and the voice of a dolphin."

"Dolphin?"

Bing Bong 's trunk instantly became a long pink nose, and he clicked and made whistles. Riley could feel happiness return to her again. She had always loved dolphins and anything from the ocean. She could have sworn Bing Bong was part sea lion by the way he clapped his hands as he clicked his tongue. "That's so Cute!" she exclaimed.

"You always thought so," laughed Joy, joining them, "I was working the controls that day!"

"So Riley, what are you doing down here?" Bing Bong asked at last.  
The knot in Riley's imaginary stomach returned tighter this time. Her chest, so thin and cold with no real heartbeat to be heard was once again burdened with a weight.

"Um...well, I...I-"  
Seeing her struggle, Joy stepped hurriedly in between them. "She's had a sort of...accident. But it wasn't her fault, it's technically mine."  
Bing Bong looked confused. "Accident?" he peered at Riley as if trying to make sure she was unhurt,

"Riley you can't still be wetting the bed?"  
Joy fought back the urge to giggle. "It's not that kind of accident. Bing Bong, could I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"

"Uh..." he glanced at Riley. He still couldn't believe she was really down here with him, and still couldn't figure out why. "Yeah okay...Sure." Hesitantly he joined Joy who lead him away to a secluded mound piled high with memories. "Wait here okay Riley? Make sure you stay close to the others!"

"We're the babysitters all of a sudden?" groaned Anger.  
Riley nodded. She felt a cold cloth placed into her hand and realised it was Sadness looking up at her with wide eyes behind her spectacles. Riley noticed there were tears there, glistening like tiny flecks of stardust hidden behind glassy moons.

"Are you...okay?"

"Yeah...being down here just makes me weepy is all."

"Do you want me to clean those for you?" she gestured to the moons which had begun to fog at the rims.

"Oh...okay," Sadness carefully took them off and Riley, trying very hard not to break the tiny frames polished them on her pajama top.

"Can she...feel fabric at all?" Fear whispered from the sidelines.

"I don't know," Disgust shrugged, "How come?"

"Well, she seems trapped in a strange state right now, between reality and here. Isn't she technically a ghost of her former self?" Remembering he was afraid of ghosts his antennae twitched and he placed both hands over his head. "Oh please No! Disgust forget I said ghost!"

"Pipe down frady-cat!"

"Yeah," added Anger, "besides if Riley really was a ghost she would be making lots of annoying noise like in the movies," Then he added, "gets me really darn ticked! "Rattle my chains indeed..."

* * *

"She can't wake up?!" The clueless elephant scratched the underneath of his bowler hat as Joy tried to quieten him.

"Ssh! I know it's bad! But we're on our way to fix it. Riley's just asleep right now and it's going to take a lot to wake her up."

Bing Bong paced on the mound for a moment. "Oh well we can't have this at all! If Riley's asleep she'll miss out on all the fun the day has to offer her! We gotta wake her up!"  
Joy smiled glad he was taking it lightly. She didn't want to worry him about the real consequences a coma could bring. "Yes! Exactly! Which is why we need your help to get her back on her feet. So to speak."

"Well, I'd be delighted to help! Riley's gonna need all the help she can get Mm -hmm! And I know just how to do it!"

"You do?" Joy's light seemed to glow whiter for half a second.

"Nope! But I'll think of something!" Joy rolled her eyes in silent exasperation. If Bing Bong was their only hope he was going to need to pull off something big in order to show dedication to his former child. He muttered to himself for a moment or two before snapping his fingers "I Got it! Why don't we take her to Imaginationland?"

"Great idea-!"

"Oh wait a minute," sighed Bing Bong, "I don't have my rocket no more."

"That's okay! Sadness could see to that! She found old bits and pieces and made an even bigger rocket for us to fly home in!" Bing Bong could have screamed with happiness. "My rocket?! A new rocket! And it flies too, oh boy!"

"So whadaya say? Imaginationland?"

"Imaginationland!" declared Bing Bong proudly, "Hey Riley-!"  
Joy skipped across the memories following Bing Bong through the dense darkness to join her fellow emotions and Riley, providing the bright torchlight to source out the odd shapes in the shadows. Finally Riley's face was lit up, looking confused but relieved that she could see her feet again.

"Well Riley," beamed Joy clapping her hands together. "Great News! Bing Bong's going to help us out! We've decided that we're going to head on forward, and make it to Imaginationland!"

"Imagi-huh?!" Riley said cocking her head.

"Your sanctuary Riley," Joy explained, "filled with neverending possibilities and creative ideas!"

"It's not just a Sanctuary," added Bing Bong, "it's a Paradise," he murmured dreamily.

"Bet it's overrun with Boy Generators now," muttered Anger but let out a sharp yell of pain as Disgust stood on his foot.

"Watch your mouth Brickhead," she hissed. Anger was about to let steam but Fear interrupted them.

"I think we're losing ourselves a little here," he said "Shouldn't we be moving?"

"Righty-ho!" said Joy glowing brighter again, "Sadness?"  
The little blue shape shuffled over dusty memories until her face and the reflections in her glasses became visible. "Y-eah?

"You still got that box?"  
Sadness instantly drew out the red cube from her sweater and placed it gently on the ground.

"Whenever you're ready Sadness," coaxed Joy softly.  
Sadness gave a tiny cough into her blue hand to clear her throat and then turned to the emotions, Riley and Bing Bong.

"S-Stand back everyone," she warned quietly. All did as they were told, covering their ears and shutting their eyes. Sadness closed her eyes for a moment. She wasn't so sure herself whether her own contraption worked yet. She had spent so much time restoring her best friend's most treasured possession that she hadn't had any time to test whether it would come out of the box unharmed. Would it explode? Would it get stuck? Just thinking of such scenarios made her eyes sting but she swallowed it down. It was only once she'd regained her composure that she hears the infuriates voice of Anger from his corner. His eyes may still have been tightly shut but he didn't exactly take silence as a promising sign of progress.

"Push...the...dang...button!"

Sadness hesitated no longer. She looked away and pressed with a *click*  
Almost instantly there was a crash and a rattle and the sound of hard steel and plastic colliding with rubber wheels made them all jump. Sadness stumbled backwards, falling straight into the pile of granite orbs with a giant thud. The others all covered their eyes trying to avoid the possible flying metal. Joy peeped through her fingers and then took her hands away in amazement as an enormous wagon sat there, with multiple seats and pretty floral patterns painted on the side.

"It's Beautiful!" she squealed, "Sadness you're Amazing!"

Sadness gave a very rare wide smile. She hadn't expected it to convert into its form as well as it did, considering many parts had fallen off during construction made with blood sweat and tears (tears being literal, she had failed so many times she used them as a bonding agent) but the finished project was worth all the effort.  
Bing Bong's eyes were full of wonder, shock and surprised as he surveyed the wagon. He traced every part a smile appearing on his face. Then he rushed straight over to Sadness and enveloped her in a hug.

"Thank you." he whispered holding her tightly.

Sadness looked a little surprised but she patted his back and said "you're welcome," very quietly.

"Well what are we waiting for?" said Bing Bong breaking the embrace, "Let's get this puppy up and running!"  
Joy was the first to eagerly grab a seat and strap herself in. She gestured to Riley to come and sit in front of her beside Bing Bong. Riley instantly agreed-there was no way she was passing up an opportunity to ride in a real rocket!  
Disgust and Anger buckled in next, trying to sit as far away from one another as possible. Fear sat in between them to act as a buffer zone in case an argument broke out. Finally Sadness took her seat beside Joy and Riley. "Uh Joy-"

"Ssh! Wait a minute Sadness Bing Bong's about to sing his special song!"

"But Joy-!"

"Alright everybody okay? Riley you ready to go?" asked Bing Bong turning around.  
Riley nodded so eagerly she thought her head would fall off.

"Okay, we have to sing my theme song to get the rocket off the ground. Everybody remember it?"

"I do!"

"I do but-"

"I guess."

"There's No Way I'm singing!"

"Do I have to sing in front of everyone?"

Riley thought and thought. Finally she said "I'll try." to which Bing Bong could have burst with pride.

"Well, if anyone finds it difficult I'll start," said Joy. "Who's your friend who likes to play...?"  
The others sat blankly so Joy nudged Sadness, "Oh! Um, who's rocket makes you yell...hooray?"  
Something awakened then inside Riley, as though a long lost memory had rolled into place.

"Bing Bong...Bing Bong..."

At this, everyone sat frozen with utter delight. Childhood; memories that Riley held so dear to her that it caused a string of them to rain down on everyone.

"Who's the best in every way?" Disgust sang loudly, causing Anger to stare wide eyed. "Who wants to sing this song to say? Come on Anger!"

"I don't sing," the grumpy brick replied harshly.

"Well, too bad because you're gonna have to if you want to make it out of this dump!" Disgust shot back before quickly turning to Bing Bong, "No offence!"

"Ah, none taken! I've been meaning to clean up around here!"

"Oh, Fine." Anger grumbled, He began to utter the words under his breath. "Who's your friend who likes to play..."

"Aw, come on Anger!" Joy teased, "We all know you can do better than that!"

"Grr...WHO'S YOUR FRIEND WHO LIKES TO PLAY...?!"

"That's it! Who's rocket makes you yell "hooray!"

The emotions began to chorus, Bing Bong and Riley's voices raised high above the rest. Slowly but surely, the rocket hosting them began to lift slightly off the ground.

"It's working!" cried Joy, "sing louder everybody!"  
The emotions raised their voices an octave, Fear's becoming higher, Joy's louder, Anger's strangled, Disgust's screechy and Sadness' deeper. The rocket moved another inch off the ground-and fell back to the faded ground once more.

"What?!" gasped Anger.

"What happened? Why aren't we moving?" complained Disgust.

"Oh no, we're stuck!" panicked Fear.

"But I don't understand-how could-?"

"Joy?" Sadness patted the yellow emotion's arm and alerted for her to face her. "Um, that's what I was trying to tell you...it can't work on just song power."

"Oh are you kidding me?!" whined Fear.  
"

We'll never make it out of here at this rate," agreed Disgust.

"Why can't we just kick the darn thing into submission?" questioned Anger.  
Riley took all of this in glancing at Bing Bong who looked incredibly nervous, turning his gloved hands over each other. Riley blinked back the dust from the deceased memories-when the rocket had landed it had created tiny dust flurries that carried an uncomfortable smell and smog which threatened to block her vision. She hated it down here and was actually willing to go ahead with Anger's plan of kicking the contraption like crazy in order to get it to move, but she didn't want to upset Sadness so fought the urge.

"It needs something stronger," explained Sadness, "something that's equivalent to a memory but with a higher level of intensity."  
Riley nearly jumped out of her seat as Bing Bong leapt from his own. "Yippee! I got it! Everyone follow me! Come on Riley!" Riley wasted no time in racing after him-she had just found her childhood best friend and was not about to lose him again. Joy followed suit with Fear practically throwing off his seatbelt to travel behind Riley in case she slipped in the dark. Sadness, Disgust and Anger followed Joy who lit the way-they had just met the girl they had all been looking after for twelve years and were not about to lose her in a maze of forgotten memories.  
Bing Bong hopped over the orbs as if they were pebbles, skipping with delight as Riley and the emotions struggled to keep up with him. Riley couldn't believe her old friend could run so fast for someone who was imaginary and had been trapped in the dark for years. Eventually he stopped abruptly and outstretched his arms, causing Joy to bump into him. "Wait! You guys! This is it! This is the place!"

Riley was looking around in expectation but couldn't see anything interesting enough that could make him excited as he was. The darkness had boxed them in and was only being kept away by the glow from Joy. As her eyes scanned the blackness, she felt something cold and steely under her feet and looked down to see the odd shape of a tiny spade. She bent down and curiously felt for the handle, but couldn't find one-then she felt something long and solid hidden under the orbs and managed to lift it from the ground and saw that it wasn't a spade at all, but a shovel. Sadness came close to study it, poking the head as if it were a bomb ready to go off. It wasn't long before Joy came across one, lifting out with all her might, Anger cursed as he stubbed his toe on a smaller one, Disgust pulled one up like a carrot and Fear shrieked as if a spider had run over his foot. As the rest stared at them in confusion, Bing Bong was ecstatic, looking at each new shovel as if it were a magic wand.

"Bing Bong, what are these?" asked Joy.

"I'm glad you asked Joy," he replied, "These are for treasure hunting.!"

"Treasure hunting?" repeated Joy, a little puzzled by his motive.

"Ha Ha, Yep!" giggled Bing Bong.

"Uh, not that I don't love looking for easter eggs as much as the next person but how is a treasure hunt going to help wake Riley up?"

"Oh right!" Bing Bong snapped to attention standing on what looked like granite sand that had been ground from dead memories. "Everyone! May I present the Amygdala pit!" Everyone stared in utter confusion.

"Amigla what?" Riley asked.

"Amygdala pit!" Bing Bong repeated, "It's sorta like that part of the mind that stores memories, except this stores the really happy memories and it buries them real deep down and they get locked in under all this dirt, so overtime it all builds up and you get these beautiful memories which you wanna hold onto forever!" He sat down on the black soil and Joy joined him. She was amazed to find out it was soft and comfortable like velvet. The other emotions joined in investigating the strange place, Sadness lying face first on it, Anger letting his shoes sink into it, and Disgust testing it out with her feet. Fear stayed at the side until he realised there didn't seem to be any danger and joined in too.

"Huh. Doesn't feel like I expected it to," said Disgust, "Feels kind of...soft."

"Yeah, and smooshy," agreed Anger.

"And warm," added Sadness.

"There doesn't seem to be anything hazardous about it," said Fear, "It's actually kind of...springy."

Upon hearing this, Riley took a running start from the fallen memories and jumped straight onto the pit, causing the other emotions to go flying three feet feet in the air.

"Woo-hoo!" she screamed delightedly.

"Careful Riles! This is a new dress!" Disgust said holding her hem.

"Oh please!" snapped Anger, the bounce causing him to bounce upside down. "That's an old one!"

"How would you know?" Disgust snapped back, "do you document all my dresses?"

"Only the ones as ugly as sin!" Anger retorted.

Disgust's hand moved to "slap some manners into him" as she put it but just as things were about to get _really_ get ugly, Joy came to the rescue. "Hey that looks like fun!"

"Oh! Oh! Me next, me next!" chanted Bing Bong.

The yellow emotion's and the elephant clambered onto the pit and bounced with a force so great it sent the other four skyrocketing, causing Riley to squeal, Fear to shriek and Disgust to hold her cheeks to stop herself from vomiting.

"WOO-HOO!" Riley bellowed, "Look Joy, no hands!"

"Wait'll ya see this!" declared Bing Bong. Using his hands as a lift up he pushed them deep into the soil of the pit. When he let go, he was sent higher into the air, along with the other emotions who all let out a panicked scream.

"I really wanna get off now!" said Disgust dizilly.

"We are wasting time!" warned Anger.

"Ooh! Right, sorry!" Bing Bong sat himself down the soft velvet allowing everyone to recover. Riley and Joy were still laughing hysterically and even Sadness shared a giggle as she pulled up her glasses. Disgust flattened her hair which had become a tangle of green cord in mid-air, although she joined Riley's side and Anger who had landed in shoe deep in the velvet quicksand was at least happy that Riley was laughing properly for the first time since she arrived. Fear looked like he was going to pass out.

"Okay, so Bing Bong tell us about this...thingie," said Joy.

"Well I found it when I was down here. I was floating around still sad that I hadn't gotten to save Riley's islands when suddenly I hit something like a wall and I heaved it away, kinda like pushing a rock...and I find this. I started digging and wouldn't ya know it there was a whole pile of happiness down there all about me and Riley. Suddenly this place didn't seem like so scary."

"But wait," said Joy, "You faded. I saw you. So how could you have been-"

Sadness thought for a moment and then spoke up. "I think I read about this." She turned to Joy, "After you told me that you watched him fade I did some research and found out that he might not have really disappeared, but just changed into moving ground up particles."

"Soooo….like a phantom?" offered Riley.

"Yes," Sadness nodded, "It said that because you were young, you could hold on to a strong memory for longer, and that once you make a connection with someone, you never really forget them."

"You hear that Bing Bong?" beamed Riley, "I didn't forget you!"

"You didn't forget me!" echoed Bing Bong excitedly.

"I always knew I had some sort of childhood friend that I did tons of cool stuff with, but I just couldn't remember a name or a face. But I remembered the friend!" She jumped up and the emotions followed her, "That means there's other stuff I've forgotten about that are all here under this!"

"Maybe it's just what we need to get you back to Mom and Dad!" said Joy.

"Well, what are ya waiting for? Pick up a shovel and start diggin'!"

Bing Bong, shovel in hand began to plunge it into the Amygdala repeatedly. Joy and Sadness snapped straight into action, Fear struggled with his while Anger and Disgust fought over them. Joy picked up two and handed one to Riley. "Come on! Let's get to work!"

Riley dug her own stone tool into the the soft black earth, scratching faded memories as she did so. Although the emotions struggled with the weight of the shovels, to Riley hers were as light as feather. Being in this world, she seemed to be weightless, barely a physical being. But with every kick of earth she saw her goal of getting back to her parents. The sound of steel and metal breaking orbs into quarters echoed from the pits. As much as it hurt Joy to destroy memories even if they were hardened rock it was worth it to help her girl.

"Almost there!" Bing Bong shouted over the noise. "I think it's splitting apart!"

Riley looked below her and saw that the ground beneath them was ripping, tearing like delicate valour. Then suddenly the pit bulged in the middle creating a miniature mountain.

"There it is, there it is!" cried Bing Bong. "You have to hit it before it goes down again!"

"Now Riley!" shouted Joy.

Riley circled the bump cautiously, raised the shovel above her head and brought it within the pit splitting it open completely. Immediately a great flash of light knocked her backwards where he she caught by Sadness and Fear. There in the centre of the Amygdala emanated the most beautiful sunshine. Disgust covered her eyes and Anger buried his face in his sleeve. Joy however was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. There was something which called her to it, which encouraged her own light to glow brighter.

It was glorious-at first the light hit hard, it's sudden impact on Riley similar to her experience of being in the headlights of the truck-then as she pulled her fingers from her face one by one she saw adjusted. The entire pit was suddenly aglow with the most incredible aureus gold, which cast itself on the faded memories and making them shine like silver for the first time in years. As it hit, the dust was almost completely blown off of them, hitting the atmosphere and becoming tiny shimmering specks. Looking closer into the pit, small pebbles were visible-yellow and joyous but they shone brighter than the regular ones at Headquarters or Long Term Memory. Within these orbs buried right at the bottom was something solid, wooden, a table among stars. Riley didn't know why, but she suddenly felt...safe-as though a warmth had emerged from within her that reassured her everything would be alright.

Bing Bong was ecstatic, clapping his hands like mad and dancing, "Hooray! We've struck Nostalgia!"

"Wow. That's what that is…" whispered Joy.

"Pretty…" said Sadness softly.

"It's like everything will be fine," smiled Fear, "that it'll just stay the same, forever."

"Is this our treasure Bing Bong?" asked Joy.

"Oh yes! And it only gets better from here," the elephant replied, "Come on!"

Riley and her emotions followed him as he moved on all fours to sit on what was previously a springy mass, now reduced to soft ribbons. Riley felt great, as though she were at a sleepover with her friends, and they were revealing secrets.

"This is amazing!" breathed Disgust, "It's like you Joy, but times twenty!"

Joy smiled. "Oh well, I'm flattered but-Ooh look!" Moving the bright pebbles she dug through the earth vigorously. Riley collected the gleaming pebbles and let them fall through her fingers like beach sand. "What's is it?" She traced something brass with her fingertips. Joy and Riley unearthed the object and using all the strength they could muster, which in Riley's case took hardly any effort at all, they lifted it so it sat neatly in the pile of shimmering stones.

It was an oak chest with a brass lining etched around all sides and just above it's solid gold keyhole centre was a tiny copper "R" . It didn't look as though it had been trapped under six feet of of pure jelly for more than a decade- it seemed to be struck with some kind of magic, a tiny glimmer in the keyhole or the fibres in the wood which Riley assumed only she could see. It was something very special for her and her alone.

"Well." sighed Anger. "Would ya look at that."

"A treasure chest!" beamed Joy hugging Riley close. "Bing Bong! Is this-?"

Bing Bong managed to silence her with a face as proud as Puff when he had opened his catflap by himself. "Why don't ya open it and find out?"

"Oh yes-!" Joy began but faltered, "-But there's no key. How are we supposed to get into it?"

Bing Bong thought for a moment and then turned to Sadness. "Still got my bag Huggin' Buddy?"

Sadness pulled it out of the folds of her sweater. "Grrreat! Now Riley, I want you to picture a key in your head, but not just any key okay? This one has to be real special and only you can use it to open the crate!" Riley closed her eyes. "Um...it's got a purple-"

"No need to say it Riles!" hushed Bing Bong, "just picture it in your head and I'll see what I can do."

Riley thought deeply, trying to create the perfect key, which only she could have. It proved challenging but she decided on it. No sooner had she opened her eyes that Bing Bong had stretched into his pink bag and brought out the most magnificent key any of them had ever seen. It earned a large "Ooh!" from the emotions. The key was made from titanium, with a violet head and silver bottom. It had five coloured circles fitted into it at the top; yellow, blue, red, green and purple. In the middle of the key there was an unidentified dent where it looked like a circle should have been but wasn't. Riley assumed she had left it out as she opened her eyes. She was pleased to see that her imagined initials had made it just under the blank dent.

"Alright Riley!" cheered Anger.

"Way to go!" Fear added.

"Should I open it then?" Riley whispered contracting the the excitement in the air like the flu.

"Go for it." Joy nodded. "It's all yours."

Riley took a deep breath and plunged the key into its hole. She turned and smiled as it unlocked, a gentle clicking sound escaping the chest; with trembling fingers, Riley stretched it open. All at once, the aureus light appeared again, this time causing everyone to shield their eyes-fortunately it had gone as quickly as it had come. The emotions and Bing Bong instantly pushed their way to where Riley was crouching to peer in the chest. Disgust was the first to speak after the party stared in simultaneous confusion. "That's it? It's just Brick-a-Brack?"

Bing Bong gasped and Disgust was worried she had offended him, "Oh, no I didn't mean-!"

"Not that! Look!" he lifted a rubber duck out of the chest and cradled it to his own "It's Wacky-Quacky! We used to play with him all the time. I wonder if the other Bath-Time gang are OH MY GOSH Mermaid Minnie and Snaptooth the Shark! I remember we played with these in her old kiddie pool!" Riley brightened.

"I've been looking for the Bath-Time Buddies ever since I was six! They were my favourites. I wonder if Snaptooth still has that mark from the submarine adventure," she added quickly turning the toy fish onto his belly "Haha, yep!"

"Hey look!" said Fear, "Your Old children's books! These were the fairytales Mom used to read us every night." He flicked through the pages with apparent caution. "I hope that evil sorceress isn't still in this…"

Anger reached into the box next and pulled out a stretch action figure. "Aha! This was my favourite! We always used to play with this when we were mad, you could stretch him and stretch him and he would never break!"

"Whatever," scoffed Disgust, "this is my favourite. Molly Malone, Hollywood starlet. We'd brush her hair with Meg to distract us from those _irritating boys."_

"At least my guy doesn't wear a dress!"

"Need I remind you that guy is based off a famous Scottish stuntsman. THEY wear kilts, it's the same thing!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is so not!"

"Is so too!"

Riley pulled several items out of the chest at once. It seemed to be neverending, a portal from her childhood inviting her back into simpler days. Bing Bong and Sadness poured over Riley's fairy figurine collection while Riley and Joy were busy lifting out old books with the occasional "Is so remember this!" Suddenly Joy hit something hard. "Huh?" She lifted up the last first reader book and instantly lit up. Riley felt a gush of sudden warmth reach her stomach as the two found themselves staring at old technology from Riley's youth. "Your Old Walkman!" cried Joy "and the cassettes!"

"The Queen record Mom got us for our birthday," Sadness said smiling sweetly, "It's my favourite cover too, the sad sad robot holding dead people."

"VHS tapes!" Riley squealed, "Oh my gosh I used to watch these all the time, I think we left the old VCR at our house in Minnesota."

"Ugh, those things would always get so worn out and mangled," said Anger laughing from the memory of sheer frustration, "Ya had to hit the darn thing with your fist in order to get the tape to stop cutting!"

"The old camcorder," declared Fear taking it out, "I wonder if the film in this is still-GAH!" The flash on the camera instantly went off and he dropped it on the ground, the camera landing while printing the most perfect picture of a screaming Fear.

Riley giggled "Oh yeah, it was always doing that! I tried to get Dad to fix it for me but he never got around to it. Said the camera film was too fuzzy."

"Speaking of old and fuzzy camera," Disgust piped up holding more photos, "Did our hair always look like that or is that just a bad lense quality?"

"Ohhh, so cute!" squeaked Joy, "It's our first day at elementary. Look, there's Callum and Marty and look at Meg with all her freckles!"

"I remember that!" said Riley, "Mom dropped me off, I was so scared about the idea of being left alone to do maths and stuff even if it was just the basic levels like the other kids were learning. But the building was warm, and I met lots of great friends and the teacher was super nice! I wish I could remember her name-!" Riley paused as Sadness dropped a golden pebble into her palm and closed her fingers around it. It seemed to have a fleeting effect on the girl. "Miss Hatcher! That was it!" said Riley, amazed she had recalled after all those years. The next photographs were those of family outings. Joy would often comment on how much she had enjoyed that day out to the beach or that time when they went up to Niagra Falls for summer vacation while Disgust would occasionally groan and apologise to Riley that she hadn't helped stopped Mom from making her wear that "hideous tree sweater." The rest of the photos were pictures of Riley as a toddler, clutching stuffed toys and braiding the tassels on the new furniture. Bing Bong smiled and laughed at each one but at the same time he was slightly crestfallen that there had been no pictures of him. He wondered why he never showed up on Mom's camera-Disgust was right, it must have been the poor lense quality.

There were only two items left in the crate now. Riley went to delve into it and nearly started weeping with joy as she pulled an old moth-eaten teddy bear out of it.

"Mr Cuddles the bear!" she said, her childhood flashing before her eyes. "I remember you!" This discovery had caught the attention of Fear and Sadness who crept over to peer into the button eyes of the toy. "May I hold him a second?" asked Fear. Riley handed it to him and was amazed at the ferocity he hugged the bear to him. Sadness patted his side. "You okay?"

"Oh me? Yeah I'm fine, sorry it's just- Mr Cuddles got us through a lot of nightmares and thunderstorms. That's all, just an old habit." He tried to make light of it, but Riley noticed him hold the bear tighter and whisper " _Thank you."_

"C-Can I h-hold him now?" asked Sadness.

"Just a little bit longer? Please?"

Riley went to pull the last item out of the chest and her phantom heart leapt in her throat. Bing Bong looked over and Joy could only watch as he slowly pushed past her, the candy corn beginning to appear at the corners of his eyes.

"What's that? Show us Riley!" begged Disgust.

Riley turned it around. It was a crayon drawing of some kind, a little unrecognisable, except for what appeared to be a puffy feline tail...and instantly the emotions saw it; the pink blob of an elephant's head, the limb of the trunk, puffy mauve fur and bold stripy feet. The sketch trailed a wagon behind him, scarlet red; and the unmistakable name in Riley's sloppy four year old handwriting:

" _bInG bOnG."_

Riley looked up at her friend who's candy wrapper eyes were threatening to open their flood gates at any moment. As if to prevent the dam burst she hugged him tightly. "I knew it…" she whispered "I always somehow knew it. You were there. You were real weren't you?"

Bing Bong knew he wasn't, nor ever would be real. He only existed within Riley's imagination, but nothing in the world was going to make him shatter this moment.

"Yeah- Yeah I was kiddo."

Riley felt a sudden burst of energy flow through her. It was as though the sun itself had worked it's way into her heart and exploded in the form of a smile. It was like seeing a baby walk for the first time, or a dog playing fetch with its owner. It was like watching a duckling hatch, or listening to a beautiful song or sitting in content comfortable silence with a good movie flickering across a screen. Riley felt this surge of happiness push her back towards the now empty chest and pick up the key still in its lock. Before pocketing it into her pyjamas, she glanced down and then did a swift double take at the coloured circles. The yellow one was lit, as if someone had switched it on like a light bulb. Perhaps this was it, she thought, what she needed to get home.

Turning to Bing Bong and the others she held up the picture. "This," she said, "I choose this,"

Bing Bong looked like he was going to cry candy until he burst like a giant pink piñata.

"Perfect!" said Joy, "Come on you guys back to the wagon!"

"Alright, coming-" said Fear going to put down Mr Cuddles.

The ground began to rumble slightly and he instantly clutched him again. Everyone froze in their tracks.

"Uh, Guys?" questioned Disgust, "It's it just me or was the ground shaking right then?"

"Told ya to lay off the chocolates."

"Anger!" hissed Joy, "Not now!" She listened for it again but nothing came. Much like the light from the chest it had gone as quickly as it had come. "What is it?"

"I don't know," said Bing Bong, "It's never done that before."

The emotions held their breath. Riley could hold in nothing but on the inside she was shaking.

Nothing.

"Huh. Oh well!" said Bing Bong, "Come on everyone, back to the wag-"

 _BOOM!_

A defeating roar sent them off their feet as the memories rattled beneath them. Joy was flown forward and managed to catch Sadness mid-flight who nearly fell head first into Anger.

"Mindquake!" yelled Bing Bong. "Everybody get down! Uh, or is it jump up-?"

"This is the END!" Fear panicked, "Our mind is breaking, WE'RE ALL DOOMED!"

Suddenly the shaking came to a halt and the emotions fell straight back down onto the hard stone memories. Joy and Sadness fell over each other and Fear had knocked Disgust straight into Anger which caused them to be rather uncomfortably close. Riley seemed to be the only one unshaken, since Bing Bong had caught her in his arms before she had been allowed to fall.

"What the heck was that?!" yelled Fear at once.

"Don't ask me!" protested Disgust shivering a disgruntled Anger away from her.

"Guys…" whispered Joy, using her arm as a torch to guide their gazes to where the dust had began to clear.

There was a dark figure emersed in the shadows, tall and ominous, like the kneeling of a bell. A sense of dread crept over everyone except Fear. He had just been lifted into the air shaken around like a ragdoll and was now watching what looked like the devil rise out of the earth-he was beyond dread.

The figure turned to face them, moving slowly and slowly out of the darkness. A human arm made its way through the last cast of a shadow as the being fully emerged. All stopped as a young girl stepped out of the blackness, a very tall, but nevertheless young looking. Riley was certain she was around her age. She looked far too regal to be a child though, elegantly poised on ballerina like feet, with skinny arms and lanky legs. She had dark skin and even darker hair which seemed to appear navy in the type of light they were in and piercing yet intelligent looking golden eyes like a hawk. She wore a long onyx dress and a cloak which blended so naturally with the shadows you would almost assume she was invisible. She carried with her nothing but a long tree-branch staff with a ball of crystal perched on the end. Most striking of all though was that from her shoulders to her back, she had an enormous pair of black-feathered wings.

Sadness pushed Joy forward, urging her to say something to the girl. Joy couldn't find a voice but eventually managed a short yet croaky, "H-Hello."

To everyone's surprise, the girl smiled politely back at them and responded in a perfectly normal sounding friendly voice. "Hello. How are you? I apologise for the entrance I'm a little new here."

"Oh I see," said Joy her apprehension fading, "You just appeared didn't you? It's okay, we all make a fool out of ourselves when we first start our jobs here."

The maiden shook her head and laughed. "Oh no no! I am not new here, I simply mean I am new to this place," she said gesturing around her. "I've never been to a dump before."

"Come on up to Headquarters, it's not much different," muttered Disgust and Fear flashed her his "Please stop or we might get killed," face.

"How come we haven't seen you before?" Sadness asked.

"Oh you wouldn't have gotten a chance to," the girl shrugged. "I was here before any of you were. I have been here for thousands of years. I know, it seems impossible doesn't it, it we all have our off days. I never come out of the corner to do my job. And I'm very grateful for that!" she added somewhat hurriedly. "You all do such great jobs too and I'm proud to share the same place as you, really I am. It is in fact if I may add a great honour to share the same realm as you!"

Joy looked baffled but pleased, "Well, we're happy to have you here newbie! What brings ya?"

"I'm glad you asked," the girl said, "I'm looking for a Riley Andersen?"

Riley appeared from her hiding place behind Bing Bong. "Ye-s?" she asked, calmly yet cautiously.

"You are Riley yes?" the spirit asked her shooting a brief smile.

"Course she is!" Joy smiled back, "This is Riley, I'm Joy, This is Sadness, That's Anger, This is Disgust, That's Fear and This here is Bing Bong. What do you call yourself, I can't say I've seen an emotion like you here before."

The girl looked a little surprised and embarrassed but tried to keep her composure. "Oh no, you must be confused. For you see, I am not an emotion. I am Death."


End file.
